In Between Series 10 - Ringing in 1984 Can Be Dangerous To Your Health
by NeedtoKnow
Summary: Continuation of a Series of stories that fit "In Between" episodes that were aired so that things can be better explained/explored. This story is set in between "The Long Christmas Eve" & "Remembrance of Things Past." Amanda's Happy New Year soon turns into the worse Vacation Ever. Can Lee save her before it is too late? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1 - Back to Normal

**Disclaimer - "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" are copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This story is for entertainment only. I will not make any money off it but do hope that at least some people will enjoy it. The Characters are not mine; I only took them out to play with them for a while so they could help me tell the story. All the credit goes to Bruce and Kate and their wonderful supporting staff for portraying these wonderful characters so well that so many of us still love them so much today. The additional characters and this story are mine.**

 **A/N #1 – For those who are familiar with my In Between Series, you know that I accomplish two things with them. First, I try to fill in all the holes that were missing from the aired version. Then Amanda and Lee help me tell what happened in between the aired episodes. Since I meld them into the series like they really were aired (because we know that Amanda and Lee are real so the stories really do exist), I will be using references from them in future stories. I think that it might be difficult for you to understand some of the characters if you are not reading my past stories as I am going to begin using some of the past into my current stories. Since I don't want to bore my readers who do read my stories, I will not be explaining that history so hopefully you will read my past stories so you understand. Thanks again for all your support.**

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 **Chapter One** **\- Back to Normal**

Lee had abruptly left Amanda's house when her family got home. As he drove back to his apartment, he couldn't help but shake his head at how fast she had bounced back from her stressful week. Maybe Billy should employ her in teaching agents on how to deal with cases where they almost die. He didn't think he had ever seen anything like that. Normal agents would have had to probably spend some time on Dr. Pfaff's couch so that the shrink could convince them that they would be okay. Not Amanda. Oh no, Amanda just had to live like a normal person and suddenly she was all better. Lee shook his head again and laughed. She was truly something else. As he headed upstairs to his apartment, he realized that the last few days had really worn him out and all he could think about was taking a shower and getting some rest. Since tomorrow was Monday, he would need to go back to work so going to bed a little early on a Sunday night wasn't a bad idea.

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Jamie flew into Amanda's arms as soon as he found her in the kitchen. "Mom, I sure did miss you. Why did you have to be gone for so long?"

"I know Sweetheart, but it is my new job. Sometimes it is going to make it so I have to be gone a few days. You and I talked about this, remember?"

Jamie lowered his head sadly and said "I know."

Amanda used a finger to pick his head up so she could see into his eyes and said "Now, don't you get all sad on me. It is Christmas after all and there just might be a special gift under the tree for you and Phillip this year because of this job, okay?"

Jamie smiled and said "Thanks Mom" and then threw his arms around her. In a lot of ways, this child was a lot like her. Phillip came into the room at that moment and said "Gee, thanks Jamie for helping to unload Grandma's car."

"Oh come on Boys, it's almost Christmas. No fighting now. Why don't we make some popcorn and watch a movie tonight?"

"Yipeee, Phillip yelled as he ran to the living room to find the movie he wanted to watch."

Dotty had been standing in the doorway watching the whole scene in front of her and then as the boys both left the room, she said "Well I think that air did you good dear; you seem to be much more yourself."

"Yes it did Mother. Thanks for suggesting it." Amanda got up and hugged her Mother and then began getting out the popcorn popper.

"Did you call Dean?" Dotty asked. Amanda groaned inside and said "Not yet."

"Amanda, do you know that man called for you every night last week? He missed you so much that he hurried back here early to be with you and then he was terribly disappointed that you weren't here."

"Mother!"

"Okay, so maybe he came back because Cousin Ralph had so many family members taking care of him so Dean had nothing to do BUT you know he still would have rushed back here for you and the boys."

"Yes, Mother." Amanda said as she went back to popping the corn.

The rest of the evening was spent as a family until the boys' bedtime. After they were both tucked into bed, Amanda went to her room to get some sleep. She was exhausted from the last week and she was thankful that she would actually sleep this time.

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2 - More and More Trouble

**Chapter 2 - More and More Trouble**

As soon as Lee walked into the agency on Monday Morning, he could tell something was wrong. Francine said "Glad you are here. Billy needs to see us." She picked up a folder and walked with Lee into Billy's office.

Francine sat down while Lee continued to stand. Billy was reading a paper from a file.

"We have trouble" Billy said.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Lee asked.

"One of our own called us early this morning to make demands."

"Anyone I know?" Lee asked while realizing that this sounded serious.

"Ted Rudolph" Billy said while shaking his head. He had known Janus a long time and he never would have thought that he would call up and threaten the agency. He knew it had to be bad if he did but Billy had a job to do and that meant that he had to stop Janus's threats immediately before he took action.

Francine read Rudolph's file out loud so that Lee knew the facts and would be prepared for when he called back. The bomb squad hadn't found any signs of his body when the phone booth blew up so he had somehow escaped.

At that moment, one of the security men knocked on the door with a package for Billy. Billy knew it would be arriving soon but of course it had to come while Lee and Francine were standing there. He groaned inside as he had to confess that he lost a bet and had to be Santa at the Office Christmas Party on Friday. He let Stetson and Desmond have their fun teasing him for a little bit and then said "Don't you two have work to do?"

For the rest of the day, he could hear the two of them snickering as they looked toward his office and knew they were enjoying this immensely. He would have to figure out a way to get them both back.

The rest of the day was uneventful and there was no word from Rudolph. It didn't take long for all thoughts of Janus to slip to the back of everyone's minds other than Francine who had people working on trying to find his daughter.

Since it was quiet, Lee was able to work on some of his back paperwork. He regretted convincing Billy to give Amanda time off because he could have gotten her to do this job. He really hated it and she seemed to enjoy it. She needed time off with her family though. Of course, that probably meant that she would be spending time with Dean too. He knew the man's name but he knew that it irked Amanda that he always pretended he didn't. He loved teasing her. She would make such cute faces as she got irritated with him. He told himself that he did that with all the girls but the only other person he had ever really done it to was Francine. Francine had become like a sister to him and a good friend. They had tried a relationship a long time ago but soon realized that they weren't compatible for anything other than sex. So like all the other women he got involved with, he had broken it off. Francine had almost seemed relieved when he suggested they end their relationship. They now enjoyed teasing each other and watching each other's back when it was needed.

The day went by slowly but finally Lee decided it was time to wrap things up. He had made a small dent in his paperwork but the rest could wait. He drove to his apartment and as he entered, he smelled an amazing aroma from his kitchen. He immediately pulled his gun out and ducked behind his couch. Suddenly a beautiful blonde lady walked out, dressed in only an apron while carrying a dish of food. Lee put his gun away and quickly stood up.

"Sheila, what are you doing here?" Lee asked.

Sheila flew into Lee's arms and gave him a hug and a passionate kiss. "Sweetie, I have missed you. When they fired me from the Steno Pool, I thought you would visit me but you didn't." She said with a pout and then kept talking. "It's been just awful being away from you. Lee, I had to take a job doing dishes at a diner in town. Dishes! Can you imagine me doing dishes? That is so beneath my abilities. Lee, you have to help me get my job back."

"You didn't answer the question." Lee said. "How did you get in here?" Lee reworded it.

Sheila pulled out a lock pick. "I knew how to use one of these babies long before I began at the agency." She said.

Lee was shocked and said in as gentle of a tone as possible "You know that is against the law right? That is considered breaking and entering."

"Oh I know but I had to see you sweetie and I didn't think you would mind since I was making us a nice romantic dinner to celebrate with." She began kissing him all over. "When they made me leave, I tried calling you several times, but you never returned my phone calls. A girl gets lonely, so I had to come find you. Now we can celebrate being together again."

"And you did." Lee said as he took her hands off his neck. He had dated Sheila only one time and realized that she was a looneytoon. It took the agency about 2 weeks to let her go. After their one date, he had tried to let her down gently and tell her that she wasn't his type but she hadn't wanted to hear it. The date had been just days before he had met Amanda and handed her the package at the train station. When Sheila kept calling him at work and wouldn't leave him alone, he had decided to use Amanda and tell Sheila that he had a new girlfriend. He never expected to see Amanda again and didn't think it would matter. Sheila had demanded to know what the woman's name was and Lee had simply said "Amanda" It had done the trick and Sheila had slammed down the phone in a fit of rage. He hadn't seen or heard from her for all these months; until now.

"Sheila, we broke up, remember?"

"No we didn't. You broke up with me. I didn't get a choice. Besides I was sure by now you had split up with that Amanda person. Aren't you ready to be with a real woman now? Sheila asked as she tried to unbutton his shirt. He stopped her fingers again and moved her arms away from his body. How in the world did he end up with all the nuts?

"Actually she is still in my life." Lee said quickly though he instantly regretted it. Sheila's face turned 3 shades of red.

"I heard something about her being your new partner. You know Lee Stetson, some day you are going to regret you choices. We could have been good together; certainly a lot better than your Mrs. King."

"How do you know her name?" Lee asked.

"I worked for the agency. I still have friends there. Don't you think everyone who wants a spot in your bed talks about you? Everyone knows all about your precious Mrs. King. You might want to tell her to watch her back. You never can tell when an accident might occur."

"Sheila? Did you just threaten her? Don't do anything stupid. You really need to leave. It's over Sheila. It actually never really began."

Sheila stomped out of the room and went out his front door, slamming it behind her.

Lee shook his head as he watched her go. Somehow he got the feeling that this was far from over and maybe he should let Amanda know. He decided that it would be better to tell her sooner than later. The rest of the evening would have to wait; Lee needed to get to Amanda's house.

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3 -Just Another Day in Arlington

**Chapter 3 - Just another day in Arlington**

Amanda had enjoyed being able to sleep in. The boys were still in school. Their last day would be on Wednesday. As she laid in bed thinking about what still needed to be done, she realized that she needed to get a tree and she still wanted to buy special gifts for Phillip and Jamie to make up for her being gone all last week. She didn't really have a lot of money for that though so she wasn't sure what she was going to do for them yet. She decided she couldn't lay in bed any longer though and got up. It seemed strange to not go to the agency; she really looked forward to going each day. Her house had suffered though so she decided to spend the day cleaning.

It took most of the day but she got the house back in tip top shape and had just settled down on the couch with a cup of tea when her Mother had come home from her Garden Club meeting. They had spent the day making their rented space festive because they would be throwing a Christmas party on Friday Night. Dotty wanted to be home with her family so she had already told them she couldn't be there but she helped get the place filled with kissing balls, wreaths and pine sprigs everywhere.

"Amanda? Have you been on that couch all day?" Dotty asked.

"Of course not Mother. I just finished cleaning the whole house and was taking a break."

"Oh thank goodness! I was afraid that you were still sulking about whatever you were sulking about. Have you talked to Dean?"

"No Mother, he is at work. I'll call him later tonight."

"Okay, well I'm going to go start the spaghetti and meatballs. The boys should be home any minute now." She had no sooner said that when the boys came racing into the house.

"Fellas slow down!" Amanda said as they raced to her to give her hugs.

"Where's the fire?" She asked.

"Mom, can Jamie and I go to Skip's house?"

"I don't know, tonight is a school night." Amanda said. "How's the homework?"

"Mine's all done" Jamie said

"Shut up Wormbrain" Phillip said.

"Now Phillip, don't tell your brother to shut up and don't call him wormbrain. What do you have left for homework?"

Phillip hung his head and said "Just my math. We'll only be there until dinner time. After dinner, I promise to finish my math. Please Mom?" Phillip begged.

"You promise to be home by 6pm?" Amanda asked

"Yes"

"And right after dinner, you'll go upstairs and finish your math without any complaints?"

"Yes Mother" Phillip said while still begging with his face.

"Okay, go on then." Phillip flew into Amanda's arms and gave her a big hug. "You are the best mom ever!" He said.

"Yeah when I give in to those pleading eyes" She said as she chuckled.

Both boys ran out of the house; shouting their goodbyes as they went.

Amanda picked up the phone in the livingroom and called Dean.

"Amanda! You are finally back! I've been worried about you."

"Oh there was no need to worry Dean. I told you that I was just cat sitting.

"I just didn't expect you to be gone that long. Your Mother said that you barely called." He scolded her.

"Mother tends to exaggerate a bit Dean, you know that. So listen, is there anything that I can help you do to get ready for Christmas? Amanda said while trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I know. Amanda but it is because we worry about you. As for Christmas, I'm all set. I have the boys gift already and of course gifts for you and your Mother."

"Dean, I told you that you didn't have to do anything for any of us. I hope you didn't spend a lot. I already know you spent too much on the boys' gifts." Amanda questioned.

"Nothing is too good for my girl and her family Amanda. I did want to tell you though that I have to go out of town for a few days."

"Oh?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, last minute decision. One of our sister station's forecaster just went into labor this morning. I'm going to have to go fill in for them for a few days since they are short handed due to holiday vacations."

"Okay, will we still see you for Christmas dinner?" Amanda asked.

"Of course, I'll be there."

"Good, Dean I have to go. I'll see you Sunday. Bye."

"Bye Amanda" Dean sounded so sad as he said it.

Amanda hung up and then noticed the mail on the table. She began sorting through the bills and found the letter and Christmas card from Joe. It had been a couple of months since Joe had sent a letter. The boys would be thrilled to get their Christmas card. She put the card aside and picked up the letter. Joe rambled on about how he had been really busy. The lack of rain was making it hard to keep crops and livestock alive and he was trying to secure more relief from the US. He then told her about how a lion had come into their area the day before looking for water and he had felt so bad for it that he had taken one of their reserve tubs and transported it out into a less populated area and let the Lion drink.

Amanda paused at that point and smiled. "Good ole Joe" she said out loud.

"What dear?" Dotty asked as she came into the room with a cup of tea.

"Oh, I was just reading the letter from Joe. He helped a lion get a drink the other day."

"A lion? That ex-husband of yours is something else, isn't he?"

"Yeah, something else." Amanda said as she slipped the letter back into its envelope to finish reading later.

Amanda went out to the kitchen to check on dinner for her Mother and heard a tap at the window.

She let herself out the back door and smiled as she saw Lee. "What are you doing here? I thought I had some time off?"

"Oh, you do. Amanda, I have to talk to you about something."

"Oh, don't tell me that we are back to me quitting the agency."

Lee looked at her in surprise. He actually hadn't had those thoughts for awhile.

"No, I just wanted to warn you to be careful."

"What do you mean? Lee, what's going on?" Amanda asked.

"Someone that was fired from the agency might try to harm you. I just wanted to warn you."

"Why would anyone want to harm me?"

Lee blushed and said "Because I misled her."

"Lee? What did you do?"

"Well, I didn't ever think she would hurt anyone and I still am not sure she would. I had one date with her and she was a little out there if you know what I mean so I told her we had to break up. She didn't take it well and decided it was because of another woman. That other woman; Amanda; is well, it's you."

"WHAT? Why would anyone think we are involved? You tell everyone that we aren't involved and We Are NOT involved."

"I know, I know but she jumped to that conclusion since you were new and I didn't exactly deny it at the time. BUT Amanda, I didn't know you were going to stay on at the agency. I thought that it was just a way to get her to go away."

"So you used me? Oh Lee. Is she jealous or something? Couldn't you set her straight?"

"I tried Amanda but I don't think she believed me. I just wanted to warn you. Look, the agency did a background check on her before they hired her. She didn't have anything show up in that so I'm sure things will be just fine. Okay?"

Amanda stared at Lee and said "I sure hope so Lee."

"I'm sorry Amanda. Hey, tell you what; the office Christmas party is on Friday. Why don't you drop by and enjoy some food and drink with us."

Amanda wondered how long she should make him squirm. She finally decided it was long enough and said "Okay, I will. Thanks for inviting me."

"Sure anytime."

"Amanda, where did you go?" Dotty's voice could be heard inside. Lee quickly slipped out of the backyard and Amanda went back inside. "I was just outside getting some air Mother."

Amanda found herself locking the back door as she came inside. What in the world did Lee Stetson get her into now?

 **TBC**


	4. Chapter 4 - Preparing for Christmas

**Chapter 4 - Preparing for Christmas**

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful at the agency. Lee and Francine had fun teasing Billy every chance they got about the Santa suit and he kept insisting that he wasn't going to wear it. He knew he didn't have a choice though because a bet was a bet and they took those things very seriously there.

Lee kept himself busy with paperwork. He couldn't help but wonder what he was going to do on Christmas day when he came in to cover the agency and had nothing to do. Since Christmas fell on Sunday; maybe all the bad guys would take the day off, he mused.

On Wednesday, he headed to the Mall for his annual Christmas shopping trip. He purchased enough scarves for all his agency friends. He paid the mall staff to wrap each of them individually so that he wouldn't have to be bothered. He thought about getting one for Amanda too but decided it might come off to her as something more than it was. After all, they weren't involved but considering the situation with Sheila; who knew how Amanda would interpret such a gift.

While he was out, he went grocery shopping and got what he needed to make his guacamole dip and bought his usual bottle of Champagne. Now he was really all set for Christmas day.

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Amanda spent Tuesday going out shopping for the last minute grocery items she would need for Christmas dinner. She also found the perfect gifts to give both Phillip and Jamie to make up for being gone. As she was heading home, she realized that she still hadn't bought the tree yet. It was good that they didn't need a very big tree because every year the price went up and made it harder for her to afford one. Thankfully she did have a little extra money due to her working at the agency so she was able to pick out a nice one. The nice young man at the tree lot loaded it on top of her car and she headed home. She unloaded the tree first and put it on the side of the house and then she brought her other things inside.

No one was home yet so Amanda quickly wrapped all the recently purchased gifts including the ones she had bought for her co-workers and then hid them back away again. Afterward she went out to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and just as she began to sit down to enjoy it, she realized that she never finished reading the letter from Joe and hadn't given the boys their Christmas Card yet either. She would need to do that tonight at dinner. She knew the boys would be excited to hear from their father. She held no bad feelings toward Joe. She still loved him but their marriage just wasn't meant to be. She had made sure that the boys knew their father as much as she could. Since they had both agreed that a long distance marriage was too hard, they had split as best friends. His time was limited though with his work so he only managed to get home now and then and the boys were always excited when he arrived. He did call them several times a month and the boys knew they could call him anytime they wanted to. He sent letters often but the boys were too young to care about them since Joe usually didn't talk about anything too exciting. Amanda would share with them anything that they might enjoy like this story about the lion. Joe and Amanda rarely kept secrets from each other and she had even mentioned Dean to Joe at one point, He seemed to be a little jealous of him at first but then congratulated her on finding a new man. Amanda made sure that he understood that she wasn't sure where their relationship was going but that he had asked her to marry him. Joe had told her that she should do what her heart said. So far, her heart was saying no.

Amanda opened back up Joe's letter and kept reading. The rest of the letter was pretty much the same as he always wrote. He told her how much he missed her and the boys. He said that he had tried to find a way to come home for Christmas but there was just too much going on right now. He said that he hoped he would find time to come home for a while this summer instead. He then told her that he hoped she was doing okay and to let him know if she or the boys needed anything. He signed it like he always did "Love Joe." Amanda put the letter back into the envelope and put it aside to add to the rest of the collection. Someday the boys might want to keep them or at least read them completely. It was very important to her that the boys had a good relationship with their father She had spent a lot of time making it so they weren't angry with their father for not being stateside. His work was important and they understood that.

She realized it was time to prepare dinner so the rest of the night was spent cooking the roasted chicken and then she helped the boys go over their last bit of homework before Christmas break. They were both excited to have a vacation from school. Everyone headed up to bed at a normal hour. Dotty said she wanted to start a new romance novel she was reading while Amanda was still tired from her adventures. Any thoughts of Lee's old girlfriend had long since disappeared.

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Night Visitor

**Chapter 5 - Christmas Decorations & The Night Visitor**

Lee was finding the week to be pretty boring. He liked to work so sitting behind a desk while pushing paperwork was not his favorite thing. He was glad it was finally Thursday. The rest of the team was getting ready for the Agency Office Party. He was also very happy that this Christmas thing was almost over. It was definitely not his favorite Holiday. He wasn't sure if he really had a favorite. None of them had ever been much fun. Leatherneck always tried to get him to help decorate the office since he was so tall but Lee's idea of decorating wasn't very pleasing to the eyes so usually after a few minutes, Leatherneck would tell him to sit down. 

Meanwhile, Lee had totally put Sheila out of his mind. She was a whacko and likely she had just been all talk. He hadn't spoken to Amanda since he saw her the other night but he knew she would call him if there was a problem. He would be seeing her at the party tomorrow and could check with her then to make sure.

Lee was glad when Francine asked him out to lunch. It was good to get out of the stuffy agency for awhile. They went to the café down the street and Francine kept most of the conversation going by talking about some new dresses she had bought for herself for Christmas. He found himself only half listening.

"Lee, you aren't listening to me at all!"

"Sure I am." He said with a smile.

"Oh yeah, prove it. What was I talking about?"

"Clothes Francine, clothes." Lee said confidently because that was almost always what she liked to talk about.

Francine made a pouting face and said "Well that wasn't too hard to guess. Lee Stetson, what is on your mind now? You look like you are a thousand miles away."

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You aren't thinking about our little housewife are you?" Francine asked.

"No Francine. I wasn't thinking about Amanda. I was just thinking that I couldn't wait for all this Christmas stuff to be over with."

"A regular scrooge, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. I have never liked all this time of the year."

"Do you have any hot date plans to get you through the weekend?" Francine asked.

Lee glared at her for a second and then said "No, women expect and want more if you try to spend Christmas with them."

"Yeah, ole playboy Lee wouldn't want anyone to think he was serious about them; that's for sure. Come on Lee. Live a little. You should make some plans for Christmas. Don't be a scrooge."

"Yeah. Well Billy is going to start yelling if he sees us gone so we better get back." Lee said as he stood up.

"Nice job changing the subject. Well I don't have much going on either so if you need a friend who is just a friend, give me a call, okay?"

"Yeah" They walked back to the agency. Lee had never told her why he hated Christmas so much. It was definitely one of those things that he didn't share.

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On Wednesday afternoon the boys had raced off the bus and thrown their book bags down in the front entryway and shouted "We are on vacation"

Dotty came out to see what the commotion was and said "Yeah, well you can take your bags up to your room and not leave them in the front entrance."

"Oh Grandma! You take all the fun out of life" Phillip whined as Jamie picked up his bag.

"Really? So I guess that means you don't want any of the gingerbread men cookies I just baked then?"

"I'm sorry Grandma, we'll go put these away and then come down and help you." Both boys raced each other upstairs while Dotty stood still for a minute smiling. Her Grandsons were both good boys.

A few minutes later they had come back downstairs and proceeded to help by shoving a couple of the cookies into their mouths.

In between bites, Jamie asked "Where's Mom?"

"Oh, she took cookies around to the neighbors to wish them a Merry Christmas. She'll be back soon."

A few minutes later Amanda walked in the back door. "Mommy!" The boys yelled as they ran into her arms. "Hey Fellas! All done school for a few days huh?"

"Yes!" Phillip yelled as he jumped up and down.

"Oh I forgot tell you that you have a card from your father." Amanda said.

"We do?! Where is it?" Both boys said at once. Amanda took it off the shelf where she had placed it and handed it to them. Phillip took it and they both walked to the table and sat down to read it. They were both smiles before they were done.

"Dad is sorry he can't make Christmas but he's really hoping to make it out this coming summer" Phillip said.

"Now boys, you know not to get your hopes up. Things change there all the time."

"We know Mom" Jamie said. "He said that too but promised he would try. He said that he is sending us both something special from there and it probably won't get there until after Christmas."

"Do you think our card got there before Christmas Mommy?" Phillip asked.

"I don't know Phillip. We were a little late sending them out this year but your dad will love it no matter when it comes. He loves that you boys create your own cards for him. Now why don't you run along and have fun for a bit. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Okay, hey Jamie, let's go to the park and check out the Christmas decorations."

"Sure" Jamie replied.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Amanda kept expecting Lee to pop up but was slightly disappointed that he didn't.

The next morning the boys were up bright and early to go practice football with the neighborhood kids. Amanda decided to begin decorating the house. Her Mother had a bridge game that day so they agreed to decorate the tree on Friday. It took a few hours to put the other decorations up and to clear out all the boxes. Amanda spent the day baking and preparing for Christmas dinner. She knew she wouldn't have much time the next couple of days so she needed to get as much ready now as possible. By the time the boys came home and dinner was done and cleaned up, she was exhausted. It was an early night for all of them.

After the lights went out, a figure walked up to the backdoor and jingled the doorknob. The person then went to each of the windows and tested them to see if they were locked. They all were. The person took out a lock pick and headed for the back door. Just then, Dotty came down the stairs to warm up some milk. The person blended back into the shadows and disappeared. Now was not the time. It could wait.

 **TBC**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Party

**Chapter 6 - The Party**

The next morning Dotty made pancakes for everyone. After a hearty breakfast, the boys asked to go play in the park.

"Don't you want to help decorate the tree?" Amanda asked.

"No Mom. You do such a better job of it than we do." Jamie said before Phillip could speak and mess things up.

"I think I was just conned." Amanda said while laughing. "Go ahead then. We'll string some popcorn to put on the trees outside tonight for the birds."

"Okay! Bye Mommy, Bye Grandma" They both yelled as they raced each other out of the house.

"Where do they get all that energy?" Amanda asked. "Did I have that much energy when I was that age?"

"Of course you did dear. You drove your father crazy with it."

"Yeah, I probably did. Well let's get that tree decorated.

It took several hours to decorate the tree just right and just as Amanda thought she would be spared a "Dean Lecture"; it arrived. When Dotty wouldn't let the subject be changed, Amanda happened to glance at her watch and realized the office Christmas party would be underway. She left her mom to finish the small amount that was left because she knew her mom liked to make sure the tree looked perfect anyway. Dotty did ask Amanda as she was leaving what her clients were like. Amanda smiled as she said "Just normal, everyday people". Her smile got bigger as she ducked out of the house with the gifts. Most of these people had no idea what the definition of normal even was.

When she arrived at the agency, Mrs. Marston had been told that she would be coming to the party. One of the security men arrived with a guest pass for her as soon as she stepped into the foyer. He escorted in the elevator and then let her go by herself to the agency door as he had another problem to handle. He got word that there was a man locked in one of the bathrooms and he was refusing to come out unless Francine agreed to come meet him there. Security was trying to get the door open but it seemed to be glued shut. He ran down the hallway to see if he could help.

Amanda walked into the Bullpen and distributed her gifts. It had been a long time since she had been to an office party but this one seemed a little dull. The agents all just stood around drinking out of plastic cups. There wasn't any music or dancing, and not a lot of space among all the desks anyway. It seemed more like just a way for everyone to relax and not be working. She put on her best smile and waved at Lee who was with Francine. She cheerfully gave them their gifts and urged them to open them. She couldn't tell if they liked them or not but when she gave Billy his, he seemed appreciative that she had thought of him. Billy was interrupted from talking to Amanda by a phone call. As soon as Billy was out of earshot, Francine began bugging Amanda for gossip from the suburbs. Amanda blushed and said that all was quiet and that they were just making plans for a nice Christmas. She was saved from any further interrogation when Billy called Lee and Francine into his office. After standing and waiting for them for about 5 minutes, Amanda decided she really needed to get home to her family. Her boys would be home soon but she didn't want to just leave without saying goodbye; especially since Lee was nice enough to invite her. She knocked on Billy's window and saw that he and Lee walked over but didn't let her in. She pointed to her watch to tell Lee that she needed to get going but they kept talking for several more minutes. Finally as she was about to give up and just leave, Billy opened the door and let her in.

"Mrs. King, come in. I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor sir?"

"Yes, a very short assignment for you to do for us."

"Is this after Christmas Sir because you know tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I still have a lot to do to prepare the meal and get ready for Sunday."

"I'm sorry Amanda. This can't wait until after Christmas. It has to be done tomorrow. A lot of lives are at stake and I think you are one of the few people who can save them."

"Me Sir? What can I do?"

We have an operative; actually a double agent who wants to come in."

"I don't understand Sir? Can't you let him back in or are you afraid he is really working for the KGB?"

"The problem is that he won't come in unless we find his daughter. Amanda, we have been looking for her since Monday. We haven't had any luck yet and we have run out of time. His information would hurt a lot of people and he's threatening to go public with it. Now I hate to ask, but you are about his daughter, Karen's age. He hasn't seen her in over 30 years. You could pass for her Amanda."

"Me sir? I don't know. That seems awful dishonest."

Lee cut in and said "Amanda, it isn't like we don't want him to see his daughter. He's just not giving us enough time. Now if you would be willing to go in her place and pretend to be her, we will of course continue our search and hopefully find her. In the meantime, we can safely get him in and stop either side from killing him."

"You would kill him? That's just awful. And right at Christmas time?"

Lee answered "Amanda, if we can't stop him, he is going to release all our names. Everyone who works at this agency would be in danger; say nothing about some of our most sensitive intelligence programs. Amanda, we would find ourselves very vulnerable to an attack from the Russians."

"Oh. So you want me to pretend to be his daughter? Where is he? Will I be home in time for Christmas Eve?"

"He's in a hunting cabin in Virginia, about an hour or so away. He has left a map in a drop area just outside of DC. Look, I'll meet you tomorrow morning around 9:30am at the agency and we will leave immediately. We should be back in plenty of time for you to be with your family for the holidays, okay?

Amanda sighed and said "Okay, I'll meet you here at 9:30. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to tell my Mother."

Lee smiled and said "I'm sure you will think of something."

Francine butted in and said "Tell her that you got invited out by one of Santa's Elves."

"Can it Francine" Billy scolded. "Mrs. King, thank you for helping us. I won't forget it."

Amanda put her smile back on and said "I know Sir. I'm glad I can help. I better be getting home now. See you tomorrow Lee."

As Amanda got up, Francine handed her a piece of paper that she had been preparing as they were all talking. "This is your scenario for when you meet Ted Rudolph aka your father. I gave you the information you will need so he believes you are his daughter. Good luck Amanda."

As Amanda walked out into the bullpen, Lee watched her go. "Boy I hope she can pull this off. You know Amanda hates to lie. She won't like deceiving him."

Billy "She understands the stakes now. I think she can do this. She is our only hope right now."

"Yeah, Billy I'm not much in the party mood. I think I'm going to head home too. It is going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Okay, I think the party is breaking up anyway." Billy said as he walked out into the bullpen with both of them. Suddenly one of the security guards walked in with a man that he was half holding up. "I have to see her, she owes me my Christmas kiss" The man said.

"Oh no!" Francine said.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"It's Beaman. Don't you remember? Every year he gets drunk and professes his undying love for me. Then the next day he doesn't remember any of it."

"Francine! There you are" Beaman said as he stumbled over to her. "Look what I found" He showed her the mistletoe that he then hung over their heads. "You have to kiss me now."

"Go ahead Francine. Kiss him." Lee said with a smile.

"Beaman if I kiss you, will you let the security man call you a cab so you can go home and sober up?"

"You would really kiss me? Yes, I'll go home with you and sober up afterward." Beaman said.

"No Beaman. You need to go to your home. Will you promise me?"

"Sure, anything if you kiss me."

Francine quickly kissed him on the cheek.

"Wow, that was nice, now kiss me on the lips." Beaman said.

"We didn't agree on a location, you agreed to one kiss. Now please get home safely Beaman." Francine said as she indicated to the Security guard that he should get him out of there and call him a cab. After they were gone, Francine looked up to see both Lee and Billy smirking at her.

"He has it bad for you Francine. Are you sure you don't want to date him? He might be a great catch." Billy asked

Francine glared at both of them and then stomped off. They both burst out laughing as she went. You just never knew what would happen at an agency Christmas party.

 **TBC**


	7. Chapter 7 - Too Many Thoughts & Excuses

**Chapter 7 - Too Many Thoughts and Excuses**

As Lee was leaving the agency, he stopped to see Leatherneck who gave him items that he might need for the hike tomorrow. He loaded them into the Porsche and then realized that he should have grabbed a backpack too. He didn't feel like going back inside though. They would deal with it in the morning.

As Lee was driving to his apartment, he thought about the events of the day. He wasn't much into Christmas so the party had been pretty dull until Amanda had shown up. She got him socks. Leave it to a Mother to come up with that idea. Lee chuckled out loud thinking about it. They were nice socks though and he would wear them. He knew Francine would never wear that perfume but it was a clever gift for her.

Then the call from Janus had ruined the rest of the day. Lee didn't like the idea of using Amanda for this and he was actually a little shocked that she was willing to lie but since there were lives at stake, he knew she would agree to do it and hope that they would find the real Karen soon so she could come clean about her lies. In the meantime, hopefully, they could pull this all off and get Janus back to the agency and Amanda could go enjoy her Christmas with her family. Lee pulled the Porsche up to the curb by his apartment building and got out. For a brief moment as he neared his door, he wondered about Sheila. He hadn't heard anything more from her. Hopefully that meant she had finally gone away. Lee entered his empty apartment and then called for a pizza delivery. While he was waiting, he decided to tak a shower. The doorbell rang just as he came out of the bathroom. He slipped his shirt and pants on and answered the door. A young kid had his pizza and was thrilled when Lee gave him a good tip for the service.

Lee turned on the news while he ate. Everything was always so depressing that he didn't know why he bothered. He ate the pizza while checking to see if anything important had happened. He noticed that Dean wasn't doing the weather that evening. He wondered where he was. Amanda hadn't mentioned him being out of town. Lee shook his head and realized that it wasn't like Amanda told Lee about Dean's schedule. He couldn't help but wonder what she saw in the guy though. He turned off the tv and got up to throw away the pizza box. He grabbed a book that he had been reading and sank down on the couch to continue it. He had been trying to finish this book for quite awhile but with his crazy life, he barely had time to read. It was nice to be able to relax and read for a change.

As he was reading, his mind wandered to Maplewood Drive. For a moment, he envisioned what it must be like to celebrate Christmas there. He had never had a real Christmas and he was sure that Amanda's house was probably very festive and cheery. He ran his hand through his hair and tried to concentrate on his book. It wasn't like it mattered what Amanda's Christmas was like. She lived in a different world than he did. He just didn't like Christmas and he didn't know why he was even thinking about it. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what it was like. Did they have a whole houseful of relatives over for the day? Did they watch football on tv? Did Amanda open her gifts slowly or rip the paper off at once?

What the hell was wrong with him? It was none of his business what Amanda did at her house on Christmas. He pulled the book closer and went back to reading. As he dozed off, it was almost a blessing to shut his mind off. 

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Amanda had gone home after she left the agency. The whole way she tried to come up with an excuse for being gone most of the day on Christmas Eve. Her Mother was not going to be happy because it was truly a family day for them. They usually had a late breakfast and then enjoyed something all together like putting together a puzzle or watching movies or playing games. In the afternoon, Amanda and her Mother would finish preparing anything that hadn't already been done sooner and of course bake the pies. Finally when everything else was done, Amanda would prepare the goose. Amanda hated lying to her Mother but it was worse to lie at Christmas time. Why did she agree to do this? She reminded herself that so many people could lose their lives and it was the right thing to do. If she could explain all of this to her Mother, she would understand. Her Mother was logical and she would tell Amanda she needed to help out. Unfortunately she couldn't explain it to her Mother or at least not the truth. She had to just go on her feeling that her Mother would have approved and hope that someday maybe she could tell her about what she was really doing instead of all those stories. In the meantime, she would have to tell her Mother that she had more gifts to deliver to her clients.

She arrived at the house and walked inside to find her family setting the table for dinner. Amanda jumped in and helped and soon they were in the middle of dinner. The boys chatted about Christmas and all the things they hoped would be under the tree.

"Amanda dear, we thought we would go to the movie theater tomorrow and watch that Christmas Movie that's playing. What was the name of it boys?"

"A Christmas Story Grandma" Jamie responded.

"Yes Jamie, I know it is a Christmas Story but what is it called."

Phillip smacked his hand against his head and began laughing as he said "Grandma! That is what it is called; A Christmas story. It's the story of a boy named Ralph who wants a gun"

"A gun? I don't know if that sounds like a very good movie for you boys." Amanda said.

"But Mother, it isn't just a gun, it is a BB gun. I know you don't want us to have one but this is just a movie. My friends have said that it is really funny. Please mom, can we go see it?" Phillip pleaded.

Amanda sighed and gave in. "Okay fellas, I'll let you see it as long as you understand that we will have no guns in this house; even BB guns, okay?"

"Yes Mother" Jamie and Phillip said at once.

"Can we get popcorn at the theater?" Jamie asked.

"And soda?" Phillip asked.

"We'll see. Fellas, we do have to talk. I'm afraid that I won't be able to go with you. I tried to deliver all my gifts today to my clients but several of them weren't home so I left notes saying I would drop by tomorrow."

"Oh Amanda, couldn't you have just left the gifts at the door?" Dotty asked.

"No Mother, that wouldn't be very good customer relations to just leave a present. I want to personally thank them for their business." Amanda said while hoping her Mother believed her.

Dotty sighed and said "The Movie doesn't start until 1pm. Can't you deliver them before then?"

"I wish I could Mother but I also promised Mr. Swenson that I would help him with his Parakeet tomorrow."

"Help him do what Dear?"

"He needs his toes trimmed and a bath."

"Can't the bird bathe himself?"

"Oh he can but Mr. Swenson likes to take him to a bird spa and he needs help getting him there." Amanda groaned inwardly at her own lies. "You know Mother, I'm awfully tired. I think I'm going to go to bed early. Don't worry about the dinner dishes, I'll get up early and do them, okay?"

"Okay Dear. Sweet dreams" Dotty said as Amanda hurried upstairs. She mumbled under her breathe "A spa for birds? Now I have heard of everything."

"What did you say Grandma?" Jamie asked.

"Nothing, why don't the two of you go up and get ready for bed and then you can come down and watch tv with me. I'll make us some hot chocolate and popcorn."

"All right!" They both yelled as they raced upstairs to put their pajamas on. Dotty shook her head as her Grandsons left her. Her daughter was acting stranger by the moment. It would be really good when she married Dean. He would bring some normalcy back into her life. She was sure of that.

 **TBC**


	8. Chapter 8 - A Simple Assignment

**Chapter 8 - A Simple Assignment**

Amanda was up at 5am the next morning since she went to bed so early. She made her way downstairs and washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then she made some breakfast since she knew it would likely be a long day. She had spent the time last night studying her scenario so she would be able to play the part of Ted Rudolph's daughter, Karen. She still wasn't thrilled about lying to the man but it was important that she convince him that she was Karen for now until the real Karen could be located. She hoped he would not be too angry when he found out that they had deceived him. She couldn't help but wonder what he was like. Her own father had been such a kind, compassionate man. Though she lost her father way too soon, she found it sad that Karen had never known her father at all. This was probably part of the reason that Lee didn't seem to want to settle down with a nice girl since the agency didn't seem to make it easy for anyone to have a family. She finished eating her pancakes and cleaned up her dish. She then headed upstairs to get ready for meeting Ted. After showering and changing, she came down the stairs and found her Mother in the kitchen making breakfast for the boys. Amanda gave her Mother a hug and said "Merry Christmas Eve, Mother."

"You too Darling. When can we expect you home?"

"I'll try to hurry as quickly as I can. I hope to be home for dinner." Amanda said.

"Okay Dear. We'll see you when you get here."

Amanda rushed out the door before there could be any more lectures and drove to the agency. She found Lee standing outside his Porsche when she arrived. He seemed pre-occupied but opened the door and helped her into the car. He jumped in and started the car up and they were off. At first they were both very quiet with their thoughts as he drove to the drop site to get the map. After they had the map, Lee made a quick call to Billy to give him directions on where the cabin was just in case he needed to come find them.

Then as they headed out of town, Amanda began rambling. She was still worried she wouldn't be home early enough that evening. It was bad enough that she wasn't going to the movies with the family but she wanted to at least be home to let the boys open their gifts and to spend Christmas Eve with them. Lee assured her again that they would be home in time though.

Amanda decided to change the subject and asked Lee how he spent Christmas. She was actually a little surprised when he opened up to her. It made her sad to think he had never had a real Christmas though. She wondered whether some day he might come to her house for Christmas and she could show him what a real Christmas was really like. She would never be able to explain it to her Family this year though so she didn't bother to ask him. It was only later that she really realized that she had gotten Lee to tell her something about his past; something that was very personal. It reminded her of when he told her about his partner dying. It wasn't easy for Lee Stetson to open up to anyone; that she was sure of. At that moment, she decided it was best to change the subject so she did.

"I'm sure your New Year's is spent in a more festive way." Amanda suggested.

"I don't know. I guess sometimes they are. Amanda, when you are a loner like me, sometimes it is easier just to work through the holidays."

"You don't ask any of your girlfriends out for the evening?" Amanda asked shocked.

"Not usually. When you ask women out during the holidays, they start thinking there is something between you. I'm just not ready to settle down yet so it is easier to just spend the night alone and toast in the New Year by myself. What about you? What do you do for New Year's?"

"Me? Oh, usually not much. Mother and I usually find some old movie on TV to watch together. Then of course we watch Dick Clark and ring in the New Year with him."

"Oh yeah; good Ole Dick Clark. He and I have rung in many new years together too. Surely Dan is planning to bring you out somewhere for a romantic night on the town to celebrate in the New Year this year though?" Lee mused.

"Dean! I have no idea what Dean's plans are as he hasn't told me. I'm not big on going out for New Year's. It is safer to stay home and watch the ball drop on tv."

"Yeah? Well I think we are here." Lee said.

Lee pulled the Porsche off the road and into the woods. As he began handing all the supplies to Amanda, she wondered why he didn't have a backpack to carry all the stuff. This man might be the best spy ever but he sure was lousy at camping and hiking. After he filled her arms with all the supplies, he took off walking and Amanda had no choice but to follow him but she knew she would never be able to carry all this stuff and keep up his pace so she finally stopped him and he agreed to take his share of the items. After about 45 minutes of him walking so fast that Amanda was all out of breathe trying to keep up with him, she finally asked him if they could stop for a minute. He gave her a hard time about being the one who wanted to be home by 5pm but he did stop. As she as standing looking at him, he suddenly threw his body at her and knocked her to the ground while landing on top of her. It wasn't quite like any of the fantasies that she had had so far about Lee but it took her by surprise enough that she couldn't help but ramble on about how they should talk about a relationship before actually having one. He quickly covered her mouth and told her to shut up as he looked around the area. She was embarrassed to learn that he was just protecting her from what appeared to be only hunters. He seemed pretty oblivious to what her thoughts had been though so she quickly let it all drop.

Lee began trying to figure out where north was and that helped to change the subject. Amanda had been a Scout Mother for enough years to know how to figure out where North was. At first Lee teased her about her "Spy" courses but then he couldn't help but tell her that she did a good job when they arrived at the cabin. She started to feel nervous as she realized that it was time to pretend to be this man's daughter.

Rudolph quickly bought the story that she was Karen and they went inside the cabin to talk. Amanda sat at the table with him and told him things that would make him believe her. She was doing pretty good until she almost blew it by saying she didn't know what it felt like to be lonely at Christmas. She caught herself quickly though and Rudolph was so involved in feeling sorry for himself that he didn't seem to notice. Lee suggested that they should be getting back but as they prepared to get up, Lee spotted the two men from the woods with AKM Automatic weapons. It seemed that the KGB had followed them right to Rudolph. Amanda could only gulp as she realized what a tight spot they were in.

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 **Lee's Point of View**

Lee had arrived that morning at the agency and actually seemed to have a weird sense of relief that Amanda would be doing this mission with him. He couldn't put his hand on it but somehow it seemed meant to be for her to be there. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts about it that he didn't hear Amanda pull up beside of him. He shook his head to clear his mind and they got into the car and were on the way. Janus had left the map where he said he would and Lee quickly headed out to where they would find the cabin.

They chatted as they rode along and at first it was normal Amanda type conversation. She was worried about getting home to her family for Christmas Eve. Lee had never had to worry about that and though he appreciated those who did feel that need; he had no real knowledge of what it actually felt like. Then somehow the conversation got more personal. Why did he let her pull private things out of him that he didn't let anyone else? It took him a few years to trust Billy enough to tell him some of his personal past but the next thing he knew, he was sharing with Amanda what it was like at Christmas time with the Colonial. He could tell that she felt bad for him but life hadn't been all bad and hey; he had turned out okay. Who needed Christmas anyway? Just another day and one that was way too hyped up in his opinion.

So of course then the conversation turned to New Year's. In his mind, he would take a beautiful woman out on New Year's Eve and wine and dine her. They would have a lovely dinner and then go to a party where they would dance the night away and toast each other at midnight. After the party, they would find their way back to his place and ring in the New Year in the best way possible. The problem with that scenario was that women expected more the next day. Lee wasn't ready to give anything more. He wasn't sure if he ever would be.

He was glad that they had arrived at their destination so he could stop thinking. They got out of the car and he began gathering the items that Leatherneck had given to him. He still wished that he had gone back for a backpack but for now, he handed everything to Amanda and she found a spot of all of it. Lee was not into the whole hiking hobby like Amanda so he just wanted this to be over with. He began fast walking through the woods with little thought that Amanda might not be able to keep up. He just knew that if he walked fast then they wouldn't be able to discuss any more of his personal life. They had been walking for a quite a while when she asked for a break. As they stood there catching their breaths, he suddenly spotted two men with rifles heading their way. Without thinking he threw his body on top of Amanda's to protect her if they began shooting. She began rambling about how sudden it was and how this would change their whole professional relationship and he covered her mouth and told her to shut up. When he looked again the men were gone so he got up and helped her to her feet. It was only at that moment that he realized that she thought he was making moves on her. Well that was just silly, why would he make moves on Amanda? He took a moment to be amused by her but managed to keep a straight face about it. They really needed to get moving though so they began walking again. He began to worry that they weren't going in the right direction but Amanda stepped in and taught him all about Moss according to the Scouts. He shook his rudely as she explained it but then was amazed when she found the cabin. Before he could think it out, he told her what a great job she had done. She smiled and seemed pleased that he acknowledged her work so he decided maybe it wasn't such a bad gesture by him after all. It was Christmas Eve so he did a nice deed for the holiday.

Amanda quickly convinced Janus that she was his daughter and he invited them inside so they could all talk. Amanda even managed to deal with Rudolph's bad smoking problem. Thankfully it was cigarettes and not cigars. Lee cringed when Amanda said that she didn't know what it was like to be alone at the holidays but was impressed that she corrected herself quickly and he bought it. He chuckled as she used the story of how he spent Christmas as an example of how Karen spent it. By this time, they had bonded well so it was time to start the long walk back. Rudolph had explained that a taxi had dropped him off at the edge of the woods with strict orders to return by 4pm that afternoon to pick him up. Lee realized that it was a good thing that he was thinking ahead since he stupidly had brought the Porsche instead of using Amanda's car. There was no way Janus was going to fit in the car with them.

Lee started to head for the door and at that moment, two men came out of the woods with AKM Automatic weapons. Lee was so mad at himself for thinking they were just hunters. Now they were trapped in this cabin with no real escape route. Neither Rudolph nor Lee had brought any good weapons with them. Lee decided that the only way they were getting out of this was for him to take out one of the men and confiscate his rifle. The plan worked perfectly until the Russian threw his gun away instead of giving it to Lee. The second Russian opened fire on Lee as he ran for cover. Lee had been shot before many times but not from an automatic rifle so close up. The pain was immediate and excruciating but he managed to make it back inside the cabin. As he leaned against the fireplace, Amanda realized he had been hit and ran to his aid. Thankfully her Bluebelle training came to mind and she made him sit down before he passed out. Then she tried to find out if the cabin had any emergency medical supplies. Lee could barely concentrate on what she was asking because it hurt so badly. Then his whole world went black as Lee Stetson passed out.

 **TBC**


	9. Chapter 9 - One Hell of a Christmas Eve

**Chapter 9 - One Hell of a Christmas Eve**

As Lee and Rudolph made plans on how to try to get a rifle from one of the KGB agents outside, Amanda couldn't help but question why they couldn't just call a truce. It was Christmas Eve. What a sad world that on the most important night of Peace, these two groups of men were going to fight and possibly kill each other. Lee told her that it wouldn't work while Rudolph, believing she was Karen, felt she just didn't understand the situation at all. Lee told her to take cover so she did and couldn't see anything that was going on but there was a lot of shooting. Suddenly Rudolph went outside and a few second later, he helped Lee back into the cabin. It took Amanda only a second or two to realize that Lee had been shot and she ran over to help him sit down before he passed out onto the floor When she found out that there wasn't a medical kit in the cabin, she knew she needed to get the one out of the car. It wasn't going to be easy though since the KGB were right outside. Rudolph had gotten towels and pressed them against the wound to try to stop the bleeding. She could tell that Lee was in a lot of pain as he tried not to scream when the towels were pressed onto the wound. Instead, he lost consciousness. Amanda pressed her forehead to his as she tried to keep her emotions in check.

She got Rudolph to help move Lee to a chair and used a nearby hassock so that he was totally reclined. It was the best she could do since there wasn't a bed or even a sofa in the cabin. Then with Rudolph's help, she took off Lee's sweater and opened his shirt so she could get to the wound. It looked really bad but Amanda did the best she could to clean it. She used the towels to make a makeshift bandage to try to help stop the bleeding. She closed his shirt back up and wiped his head. He was beginning to burn up. She was so worried he would get infected and she knew she needed to get his fever down. She needed that first aid kit. These stubborn men would let each other die before they would call a truce but Amanda was not about ready to let Lee Stetson die. Trying not to be scared, she proceeded to tie a towel to the handle of the broom so she could make a white flag. Rudolph demanded to know what she was doing and then told her he wouldn't let her go since she was his daughter. It was time to end this charade so she told him the truth; that she was Amanda King and she worked part time for the agency. She then went outside while waving her flag. Her heart was pounding with fear. What if they shot her? What would happen to her little boys? She had to just have faith that it was Christmas, the most important time of peace.

She was so thankful that Dimitri listened to her vow of a truce so they could help each other. She helped him carry Ivan inside and then he took off for the car. After making sure the two wounded men were as comfortable as they could be, she sat down to face Rudolph. He had forgiven her for lying to him since he was in the business and understood that he had put them in a bad situation. When he asked her how she got involved with the agency, it brought back fond memories of meeting Lee and realizing that it was important work and though she would have rather been home on Christmas Eve, she was truly meant to be right where she was at that moment.

Dimitri came into the cabin and immediately both he and Rudolph pointed their guns at each other. Amanda reminded them both that there was a truce inside the cabin and was pleased when they both listened to her. She took the first aid kit and used the supplies to clean up Lee's wound better and get some antiseptic onto it. She wrapped it well and was pleased that the bleeding had stopped. She forced an aspirin down his throat and gave him a bit of water to make sure he swallowed it. His reflexes took over and he did as she asked while he never really gained consciousness. She then asked Ivan if she could help him. He was a little nervous but Dimitri said something to him in Russian and he relented. Amanda promised to be as careful with him as she could. His wound had also stopped bleeding and since Lee's pistol didn't give nearly the impact that their weapon had, his leg didn't have a lot of damage. Once they were back in the city, he would need a surgeon to take the bullet out but he would be fine. She cleaned the wound up and put antiseptic on it too and then used gauze to wrap his leg. He thanked her as she touched his shoulder in comfort. She offered him a peaceful smile and then walked back over to Lee.

After checking Lee's forehead and discovering that his temp seemed to be coming down, she asked the men if she could make some coffee for them. They all agreed that they would love a cup. She quickly went about making a pot and was just pouring the hot beverage into their cups when Lee woke up. He was shocked to hear that she had gotten everyone to call a truce in the cabin. In fact if Francine had been telling him this story, he doubted he would believe it. The KGB calling a truce when they had the upper hand just because it was Christmas Eve was unheard of. He shook his head in amazement from the thought. She told him to rest and not to worry; everything would be okay.

As she left Lee, she asked Rudolph if there was any food in the cabin since it was getting late and everyone would soon be hungry. He told her to check out the cupboard as it was usually stocked by the one who owned the cabin. Sadly the only thing in the cupboard was a couple of cans of beans. She got out a pot and began cooking them over the fire on the stove. As she began serving them, Dimitri got out a can of Herring and a flask of Vodka. Amanda never drank hard stuff and only on occasion even had a glass of wine. When Dimitri insisted that she drink his vodka, she took a big swig and swallowed; the liquid burnt her throat the whole way down and then gave her quite a jolt as it hit her stomach. She had never had anything like it before. Dimitri then shared the flask with Lee who gave it to Ivan and then Rudolph took it from him. Amanda ate her beans and then went over to Lee to try to convince him to eat some so he could build up his strength.

Meanwhile every since Lee had woke up, he watched what was going on in the cabin as if he was in some sort of dream or The Twilight Zone. He just couldn't believe that Amanda had pulled off getting them all to call a truce. Christmas really didn't matter when it came to the spy business. His mind once again wandered to the fact that he had endangered Amanda and this time on Christmas Eve. This simple assignment had made it so she wouldn't be spending Christmas Eve with her two boys and maybe would never see them again. He should have insisted to Billy that they found some other way. He had liked watching her do her job when she convinced Rudolph that she was his daughter though. He could tell that Amanda must have told him the truth as Rudolph was already calling her Amanda.

Amanda came over to Lee with a plate of Beans. Boy did he hate those things. Traveling with the Colonial in the service, he had more than his share of them and he swore he would never touch the slimy things again. Now Amanda was trying to convince him to eat them for her. He tried to divert her by apologizing to her for dragging her into all of this. She took it all in stride though and as she was telling him it was okay, he realized that he had had only had one swig of the vodka. He even agreed to eat those stupid beans if he could have more. He allowed Amanda to feed him like a child because he couldn't have made himself eat them. After they were gone, she borrowed the flask and poured some into a cup for him. Lee insisted that she pour herself a cup of it also.

It didn't take long for the vodka to help ease the tensions in the cabin. Amanda found herself laughing at Lee's silly stories while Rudolph and Dimitri seemed to bury the hatchet. Soon everyone began making toasts and then Amanda noticed it was snowing. After making a toast for peace on Earth and good will toward men and Women, she wished everyone a Merry Christmas and then suggested they sing Christmas Carols.

There was no way for any of them to know that the KGB had a squad hiding in the bushes while an American squad hid behind rocks just to the left of them. As they heard the Christmas Carols being sung, all the military men on both sides lowered their rifles. It was Christmas Eve and many of them had young kids at home or at least wives waiting for them. No one wanted to die on such an important holiday.

Inside the cabin, Amanda sat down beside Lee while Ivan began playing the harmonica and everyone was singing Christmas Carols. The vodka had definitely loosened everyone up and they continued singing Christmas Carols as midnight approached.

Suddenly there were voices outside singing too. Rudolph ran to the window and was shocked to see that there were both American and KGB soldiers who had stood up and began singing the carols in harmony with the people in the cabin. In fact they all seemed surprised to see each other. The singing stopped as both squads pointed their guns at each other. No one wanted to be the first one to shoot though and soon they began discussing how they should call a truce. Amanda stood in the window and watched with pride as each of the men lowered their weapon and stood facing each other.

"We will not shed blood on Christmas" The KGB squad leader said. "We will retreat and let you leave the area. We suggest you do it quickly though before our head of command sends in others to do what we will not." The soldiers than turned around and headed into the darkness.

The head of the American squad came into the cabin and Amanda explained to him what was going on and how both Ivan and Lee needed to be seen by a doctor. The men found some pieces of wood to carry the men out on and soon everyone was heading for the jeeps. "My car!" Lee suddenly said. "We can't leave my car up here!" One of the soldiers offered to drive it back. "You be careful with that car." Lee said in a rough voice.

"Of course sir." The soldier replied. Another soldier said he would ride back with Dimitri in his truck. Amanda gave Dimitri a hug and thanked him for his kindness.

"It is me who needs to thank you. You are a remarkable woman." Dimitri said as he hugged her back. "You take care of those two boys of yours. Perhaps one day we will meet again."

Amanda smiled and said "Perhaps we will."

The walk out of the woods was peaceful as everyone continued humming Christmas Carols the whole way out. They soon arrived at the jeeps and Lee was placed carefully into one of them and Amanda climbed in beside him. About an hour later, they arrived at the hospital and Lee was rushed into surgery to remove the bullet. Amanda called the agency and was surprised to find out that Billy was still there.

"Sir, it is Christmas Eve. Shouldn't you be home with your wife?" Amanda asked.

"Mrs. King. Thank God you are okay. Is Lee with you?"

"Yes, well sort of. He's in surgery right now. He was shot in the shoulder by an automatic weapon but I've been told he will be okay."

"What happened out there?" Billy asked.

"Sir, I think I will let Lee explain it. I really need to get home but I'm going to wait until Lee is out of surgery. I'm sure my family is wondering why I didn't make it home on Christmas Eve."

"I'm sorry Mrs. King. Of course, I will stop in and see Lee in the morning. Get some sleep and oh, Merry Christmas!" Billy said.

"Merry Christmas Sir."

A short time later, Lee was moved to recovery and his doctor came out to talk to Amanda.

"He's going to be just fine. Thankfully the bullet didn't do any permanent damage. He will be out of commission for awhile but once it heals, he will be as good as new. We'll keep him for a few days since he would have a hard time getting around but he'll be out before New Year's Eve."

"That's great news." Amanda said. "Thank you Doctor. I think since he will be out of it, I'm going to go home and try to get some sleep before my boys wake up."

"Good idea Amanda. Ask the nurse at the desk for the direct line to Lee's room. She should know where he is being moved to by now."

"Thanks" Amanda said and then got the phone number from the nurse. She remembered that her car was still at the agency. The snow had made the roads a little slick though so she decided to leave it there and call a cab. It would be good to be home.

 **TBC**


	10. Chapter 10 - Christmas Day

**Chapter 10 - Christmas Day**

The next morning a nurse entered Lee's room around 5am. She had to wake him up in order to take his vitals and he wasn't happy about it at all. It was Christmas though and he knew that she likely didn't want to be there either so he could almost picture Amanda nagging at him about being nice to her. He tried to co-operate the best he could and soon she left the room. A short time later Billy showed up.

"Well it's good to see you are alive and awake" Billy said.

"Yeah, I guess I have Amanda to thank for that." Lee answered.

"In what way? What the hell happened out there?" Billy asked.

"The KGB followed us. I thought at first they were just hunters but it turned out there were two men who had been sent to kill Rudolph. They had automatic weapons and we had a pistol and a 22 rifle. I tried to acquire one of their weapons and for my reward, I got shot. I shot one of them in return. I managed to make it back into the cabin and then I passed out. I just remember Amanda saying something about needing to get the medical kit out of the car but it was a mile and a half walk each way. When I woke up, I discovered that the KGB men had been offered Amanda's hospitality and that everyone had called a truce"

"A TRUCE!? The KGB called a truce? They had you outnumbered. I'm supposed to believe that?" Billy exclaimed.

"I know, I know. I don't know how she did it but she managed to do it Billy. I was sure I was dreaming. She found some canned beans in the cabin and the next thing you know, Dimitri is offering up a flask of Vodka."

"Dimitri?"

"Yeah, Dimitri and Ivan. In the end, they were nice guys who were just on the opposite side. I'm guessing they will be deported? The Russian squad and the American squad that came out to kill us last night both called a truce too and the Russians decided to leave Dimitri and Ivan behind since Ivan was injured."

"Wait, so you are telling me that our people showed up at the cabin and so did the KGB and they both called a truce too?"

"Yes, unbelievable right? Amanda kept saying it was because it was Christmas. There's something about her Billy. I just don't get it. I have never met anyone like her. If she hadn't been there last night, we would have all shot it out and probably most of us wouldn't be alive right now."

"Guess it was good that I insisted she go then." Billy said with a smile.

Lee looked at him for a moment and then began laughing. "Okay fine Billy. It was good you insisted she go. Happy now?"

"Yeah but that was too easy. Maybe the Christmas spirit is rubbing off on you a bit too after all." He said as he chuckled.

"Don't count on it. So what did you bring me? What's in the bag?" Lee asked as he gestured to the bag that Billy was still holding.

"Well I know how much you hate hospitals so I thought I would bring you a few things to make your stay a bit more comfortable." Billy said as he handed the bag to Lee. Lee looked inside and pulled out a bottle of champagne that Billy already had on ice. He had also bought him a toothbrush and a hair comb."

"Merry Christmas Lee."

"Merry Christmas Billy. Thanks so much for bringing me this stuff."

"Don't mention it; I know that it really stinks that are you spending your Christmas in a Hospital. I couldn't think of anything else to make it a little better for you."

"It certainly won't hurt. Shouldn't you get home to Jeannie?"

"Yeah, call me if you need me."

"I will. Thanks Billy."

As Billy was leaving the room, a kitchen person was walking in with a tray loaded with food for Lee. Billy smiled as he saw it because he knew how much Lee hated breakfast.

 **SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

 **A/N - Some of the following is taken from my Dean's story "Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful"**

Amanda had hurried home after leaving the hospital and decided that since she would only get a few hours of sleep, she should sleep on the couch so she would hear the boys if they came downstairs. She was so tired that she fell asleep quickly and was in the middle of an interesting dream when she suddenly realized she wasn't alone and that her sons were in the middle of raiding the Christmas presents. When the boys looked up and saw that she was awake, they dove into her arms and snuggled her. She finally let them go so they could go get her Mother downstairs and it gave Amanda a chance to call and check on Lee. She felt so bad that he was spending Christmas alone in a hospital room but Dean would be over shortly and she had already spent enough time away from her family. She was happily surprised to hear that he sounded cheerful and not at all grumpy like normal when he had to spend time in a hospital bed. After making sure he was okay and hearing that Billy had brought some things for him, she knew there wasn't anything else she could do for him right now. She couldn't help but notice the difference in his voice as he talked about it being a Hell of a Christmas Eve. She knew that it had not been the best Christmas Eve she had ever spent but it was truly the most amazing. She would never forget the experience and even Lee Stetson had been amazed at how things had turned out. It wasn't often that a entire KGB squad and an entire American squad put down their arms and called a temporary truce. She was sure glad they did though. The whole experience would was almost unbelievable and she was glad she had shared it with Lee. Thankfully he would be fine in no time. After wishing each other a Merry Christmas, Amanda hung up. She had a lot to do to get ready for Dean's arrival.

Dotty came downstairs right after Amanda had hung up the phone with Lee and rushed over to hug her Daughter.

"Oh Amanda, are you okay? We were so worried about you. Did you get caught in the snow? Did you forget to put snow tires on your car? What happened to you?"

"I'm sorry Mother. I should have called but I couldn't find a phone. I did have snow tires on but you know I spent too long with Mr. Swenson and the next thing I knew, the snow was really getting heavy out there. I thought I could still make it home so I began driving but a snowplow was coming right at me and the next thing I knew, I was stuck in a snowbank. I tried and tried to rock the car out of it but couldn't do it. I finally had to get out and walk. It took me a couple of hours through the snow to get to a place that had a phone and then I called for a cab but the cab was tied up from all the Christmas Eve fares so it took a long time for it to arrive. I'm here now though and that is all that matters. Let's go make some special waffles so the boys can open up their presents afterward."

"Amanda dear, shouldn't we see about getting your car?"

"It's okay Mother, I'll get a ride to it later and bring it home."

"Mom, your car is in the driveway" Jamie said. "I saw it when I went out with the trash I forgot last night."

"It is? Are you sure Jamie?" Amanda asked.

Jamie rolled his eyes and said "I know what the car looks like Mom. It's in the driveway, go see for yourself."

The family all walked over to the front door and Amanda opened it and stepped out onto the stoop. Sure enough, her car was right where it belonged. She realized that Billy must have arranged for someone to drive it back sometime early this morning.

"Would you look at that. A Christmas Miracle. Someone must have seen the car in the snowbank and driven it home for me." Amanda said as she shooed everyone back inside.

"How did they know where it belonged" Dotty said with a bit of suspicion in her voice.

"I'll bet a police officer found it and decided to do a nice deed for Christmas." Amanda said a little too quickly. "Let's go make breakfast, okay boys? The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get to those gifts."

"YAY!" The boys both yelled and hurried into the kitchen. Dotty stood for a moment thinking things over. Perhaps Amanda was right. Why doubt a Christmas Miracle. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and followed Amanda into the kitchen.

Everyone enjoyed a big breakfast and then they spent the next hour opening gifts. The boys were especially excited about the walkmans that Amanda had gotten for them as special gifts to make up for being away so much with her new job. They had wanted them for a long time but Amanda couldn't afford them before. Joe had sent the boys an authentic wall hanging that was made by a villager in Africa. It was beautifully made and featured a lion family but in the background there were elephants, zebras and giraffes. The boys were blown away by it and were especially proud to have it when they read the letter that came with it which told the story about how Joe had purchased this from a family that was starving. The money he spent on it would feed the family for a year. Joe had sent hand lotions and soaps made by the women to Dotty and Amanda.

Soon all the presents were unwrapped, the tapestry was hung on the boys' wall and everyone had settled down to enjoy the rest of the day. The goose was roasting and since everything else was done, Dotty had curled up on the couch with one of the new romance novels that Amanda and the boys had gotten her. The boys were on the floor listening to their walkmans while building a Lego City and Amanda pretended to look through a magazine while her mind kept going back to the evening before and she wondered how Lee was. She knew he would be fine but she really wished that she could sneak out and bring him some Christmas dinner. She knew how much he hated hospitals and it was definitely bad timing to be stuck in one at Christmas time.

"I think I'll go check on dinner" Amanda said.

Dotty said "I'll help you." They both went into the kitchen and began working on putting the finishing touches on the meal. Dotty sat the table while Amanda beat up some whipped cream for the pies. As they worked, the doorbell suddenly rang and Dean walked in.

The boys both waved at him but didn't bother getting up. Dean came into the kitchen and gave both ladies a quick hug.

"Wow, everything smells so good in here! Is there anything I can do to help?"

Dotty said "No Dean, we have it under control.

Dean leaned over to give Amanda a hug but noticed that she seemed to be lost in thought.

"Amanda, are you okay?"

"Oh I'm sorry Dean. I have a friend in the hospital and I feel bad. It isn't any fun being in the hospital on any day but Christmas has to be the worse."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe we could go visit her later after dinner." Dean said.

Amanda smiled and said "No, that's okay but thanks for offering."

"Well I know I'm lucky to be here with you and Dotty and the boys. If dinner can take care of itself for a bit, I want to give you all your presents." Amanda agreed and told him that the family had picked out a gift for him together.

They all walked back out into the Livingroom. Dean and Amanda sat on the couch together while Dotty sat in the chair.

"Hey Fellas, turn off your walkmans for a moment." Amanda said.

The boys reluctantly took off the headphones and Phillip asked "What's up Mommy?"

"It is time to exchange gifts with Dean" Amanda said.

Amanda handed Dean a brightly wrapped box. Dean ripped the paper off the box and smiled. Inside was a beautiful set of Ferrari Floor mats. "Oh these will look so great in my car. Thank you everyone. You really shouldn't have done that though, I know how expensive these are."

Amanda said "We wanted to get you something you could use. I'm glad you like them." "Dean smiled and said "I really do! Thanks!"

It was Dean's turn now so he passed Phillip his present first. "WOW! A real authentic Red Skins uniform! Dean this is awesome. Thank you so much. I can't wait to tell my friends about this." Dean was really pleased with Phillip's reaction. Amanda had known about the boys gifts ahead of time so she was happy for Dean that the gift meant so much to Phillip. Dean handed Jamie his gift next. Jamie was one of those who liked to open his package carefully. He was always trying to save the wrapping paper so that his mother could reuse it. Normally Phillip would be yelling at him to hurry up but he was too busy with his uniform that he didn't notice this time. Jamie finally got the wrapping all off and saw the weather kit. "Is this real? This is really cool! So now I can learn to be a weather man just like you Dean?"

"That's right son." Dean answered. "You know I had this same kit back when I was your age but I didn't get a Barometer in mine."

"Thanks Dean, it is a really neat gift. My friends will all be jealous of it." Jamie said very sincerely.

Dean then handed a package to Dotty. She let out a squeal when she saw the sexy slippers. "I thought Fred might enjoy massaging your feet even more if he saw them dressed in these slippers." Dean explained. Dotty thanked Dean and gave him a quick hug. She had finally gotten him to stop shaking her hand but it wasn't easy.

Dean then turned to Amanda and said "I saved the best for last. I really wanted to get you an engagement ring for Christmas Amanda."

Amanda groaned and said "Dean, we have talked about this."

"I know, that is why I didn't. Open your gift Amanda." He handed her a box and urged her to open it. Amanda did and started laughing. She looked at Dean to see if he meant it as a joke and realized he was serious so she cut short her laugh and began telling him how thoughtful it was. Dean said "I thought it would be fun for us to match and when I saw that they had a female plaid shirt that looked exactly like mine, I had to get it for you. I know your favorite color is red too so I just knew you would like it."

"Oh I do Dean. It is very nice and a high quality shirt too I see." Amanda said with as much seriousness as she could. "Thanks Dean."

Dotty interrupted the moment by saying dinner was ready. In no time dinner was served and everyone enjoyed generous helpings of the goose, mashed potatoes, squash, carrots, and some of Amanda's famous homemade Stuffing. It didn't take long for everyone to be full and say they had no room for pie. The adults took cups of steaming coffee out to the familyroom and soon the boys joined them with glasses of milk.

After dinner, they found a Christmas movie on TV and all settled down to enjoy it. As the movie ended, Dean and the family made their way back into the kitchen to enjoy some of the delicious pies that had been baked. Soon everyone was talking about the snow that was outside and how it probably wouldn't last long. The boys suggested that they should go to the Mountains and go skiing.

"Oh, that sounds like fun but you know I can't do that with my new job. Many of my clients are out of town right now so they depend on me to take care of their pets, flowers and such."

Jamie hung his head and said "I know but it would be fun to go skiing."

"Maybe next year" Amanda said as she smoothed Jamie's hair back into place.

"You know Amanda, I could take them skiing." Dotty said.

"Mother are you sure? You know you don't like to ski."

"Oh, I didn't say I would ski. I'm sure there is an excellent trainer on the Mountain that would take care of the boys for a couple of lessons. What do you say boys? We could go tomorrow and spend the night and then come home on Tuesday."

"YIPEE, can we go Mommy?" Phillip begged and then Jamie begged too and said "Please?"

Amanda laughed and said "How can I say no to that. Yes, you can go but only if you listen to your Grandmother."

"Of course!" they both exclaimed. "We better go get packed." The boys raced to the stairs and Phillip beat Jamie by only a second. The adults could hear them running as fast as they could up the stairs and into their room.

"Well Mother, you just made 2 boys very happy." Amanda said.

"It will give you and Dean some time alone" Dotty said. Amanda groaned inwardly but then was relieved when Dean said "Actually Dotty, I can't stay. In fact I need to get home and pack too. It seems that my station has entered into an agreement with a Colorado weather station to share how we both handle emergency weather reports. They have me flying out at 6am tomorrow. I'll be back for New Year's Eve though. Amanda, we are still on, right?" Dean asked.

"I guess so Dean. Where are you taking me? We could just stay here."

"Oh no, that is a special night and my girl deserves a special time out on the town. It's all a surprise, you will have fun though, I promise."

Amanda did her best to seem happy about this future date as she saw Dean out for the night. She stood at the front door as he drove away and wondered how much longer she should wait for those sparks.

 **TBC**


	11. Chapter 11 - Christmas in the Hospital

**Chapter 11 - Christmas in the Hospital**

Lee's nurse had discovered the bottle of champagne but smiled and winked at him as she turned a blind eye to it.

"Well Mr. Stetson, it is nice to have you so cheery. We both know how much you hate being here. If I had known all along what it required to stop you from being so grumpy, I would have paid the money myself."

Lee laughed along with her and then offered her a taste. She declined since she still had several hours on her shift. She told him to call her if he needed anything and then left the room while closing the door behind her.

An hour or so later, Francine appeared in the doorway. By that time, the bottle was empty and Lee was sound asleep. She walked over to the bed and said quietly "Lee? Are you asleep?"

When he didn't respond, she sat down in a chair near the bed and studied him. He seemed okay other than the gunshot wound. She should have been there instead of Amanda. Why did they keep insisting on sending this civilian in on these important, dangerous jobs? Lee hadn't had any backup and he could have been killed. Of course Billy had told her some far fetched story about how Mrs. King had saved the day and talked everyone into a truce. As if a simple housewife had those kinds of skills. She knew Lee would tell her the truth and then they could chuckle about how incompetent Amanda really was and maybe she would finally be canned from the agency. Francine looked forward to being able to go back out in the field again like old times. As she sat watching him, Lee began groaning in his sleep. Then he began talking in his sleep. She had to listen closely in order to hear what he said and she wasn't sure what any of it meant.

"Amanda, I hate beans." He muttered. After a short pause, he said "KGB Agents do not call truces. Amanda what did you do? OH, they shot me." He then slipped back into a deeper sleep and didn't say another word.

Francine wondered if the truce story was true. Amanda King was going to get everyone killed one of these days with all her weird ideas. What could Francine Desmond do about it? No one would listen to her anymore. Billy used to appreciate her advice but since this woman had joined the agency, things were all different. It took her years to be a accepted as an agent and now Amanda King thought she could just waltz in, work with the Scarecrow and suddenly she was one of them. It made her so frustrated thinking about it. She had just decided to leave when suddenly Lee woke up and looked at her.

"Hi Francine, how long have you been here?" Lee asked.

"Just a little while. I thought I would stop by and add some Christmas Cheer for you but it looks like you are all cheered out and just tired."

"Yeah, well it was tiring to have my shoulder nearly shot off."

"I heard our little housewife took good care of you though." Francine said with a smirk.

"Actually she did. I still can't believe it. Our best negotiators probably couldn't have convinced those KGB men to call a truce but Amanda did it. Of course it helped that it was Christmas but who ever heard of either side giving up over a holiday?"

"So it is true then, Amanda really did get them all to call a truce?"

"Yeah, she sure did. Then we sat and ate with them and drank vodka with them while singing Christmas Carols." Lee said as he chuckled still not quite sure he believed it himself.

"LEE STETSON, you are pulling my leg!"

"No, I'm really not. Then the American and KGB Squads heard the Carols when they came to kill us and the next thing we knew; they were singing too and agreed to a truce. It was an unbelievable night."

"Yeah, unbelievable alright." Francine muttered.

"Awww Francine, don't be that way. I'd probably be dead right now otherwise. Be happy that she made it work."

"Oh I am happy for you Lee. Is there anything I can get for you before I leave?"

"No, thankfully they tell me that I can get out of here tomorrow. I think Billy put them up to keeping me so I wouldn't go to the office."

"Are you coming back to work already?"

"No, Billy told me to go home and rest. I'm tired right now so I'm going to take his advice but I should be rested back up in a few days and back on an assignment. The bad guys won't rest just because I got shot after all."

"Okay, get some sleep. You call me if you need anything, okay?" Francine said as she reached down and gave him a hug.

"Thanks Francine, I appreciate that. Drive home safely, huh?"

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye" Lee said as she walked out of the room.

Shortly afterward a nice young girl came in with a tray of Christmas dinner for Lee. He realized that he was hungry since he had slept through lunch and though the food wasn't the best, it wasn't any worse than all those mess hall dinners. He actually ate it all and then went back to sleep. Christmas of 1983 was officially over as far as he was concerned and somehow with a little help from a Suburban Housewife, he had survived it..

 **TBC**


	12. Chapter 12 - New Year's Eve Plans

**Chapter 12 - New Year's Eve Plans**

Amanda helped the boys finish packing the next morning for their ski trip. They were so excited that she was afraid they would forget something important. After the car was loaded, they all hugged and kissed goodbye and Dotty drove away with her sons.

Amanda quickly took a shower and got dressed and then headed to the hospital. She grabbed some flowers at the local florist along the way and then hurried up to the 3rd floor where Lee had been checked in after his surgery. She opened his door and said a cheery "Hello" but instead of Lee, there was a bald man sitting on the bed with just boxers on.

Amanda quickly looked away and then looked at the door and the number was 312 so she knew she had the right room.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for my friend Lee. He was in this room."

"Lucky Cuss got to go home this morning." the man answered.

"Oh, that's good news. Sorry I bothered you."

"No bother ma'am. It's always nice when a beautiful woman comes flying into your room with flowers." He chuckled.

"Oh, here. Enjoy them." Amanda said as she handed them to him.

"Stanley"

"What?"

"My name is Stanley. I figured if you were going to give me flowers, you should at least know my name."

Amanda laughed and said "I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you Stanley. I hope you won't have to be here long."

"Amanda is a pretty name. I hope I won't have to be here long too. Damn hernia finally did me in and now they are forcing me into surgery."

"Well I'm sure they will take good care of you here Stanley. I should go."

"Yes, thank you for stopping in." He said with a smile.

Amanda smiled back and said "bye" and then left the room.

She went out to the Nurse's station and found out that Lee had left about 2 hours before. She made a quick call to the agency and was told that Billy had told him to go home.

As she headed out to her car, she knew what she had to do. She quickly drove to the grocery store and bought a bag of groceries and then headed for Lee's apartment. She carried the bag inside and Floyd the Doorman immediately offered to carry it for her. She let him and she could tell that he was trying to figure out if she was one of Lee's girlfriends or not. She managed to avoid the questions and soon they arrived at his door. She thanked Floyd for helping her and took the bag from him. He tipped his hat and left. Amanda knocked on Lee's door and didn't hear anything. The second time she knocked louder and he bellowed "Can't a guy get any sleep around here?"

"Lee? It's Amanda. Can I come in?"

"Amanda? What are you doing here?" Lee said as he opened the door shirtless.

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything?" Amanda said as she tried to divert her eyes from looking at his chest.

Lee smiled at her discomfort and said "No, I was just resting. Come in." He walked away and picked up a shirt and put it on. Amanda came inside and closed the door. "What are you doing here?" Lee asked.

"I went to visit you in the hospital and found out you had been discharged. I knew you never have food in your house so I thought I would come over and make a couple of meals that you could heat up and eat while you are resting."

"Amanda! I have food in the house."

Amanda had already gone to his refrigerator and opened it and found it completely empty other than a piece of hard leftover Italian Bread.

"Really? Where are you hiding it?"

"Amanda! Okay, fine, so I don't have food in the house. That is what is great about living here, I can call any place at almost anytime and they deliver."

"You need to heal up though and eating that greasy, junk that you eat is not going to help you heal. I'm going to make you a meatloaf casserole and also I thought I would make you a pot of chicken noodle soup because you know what they say; it is good for your soul."

Lee shook his head and finally relented. "Fine, but you don't have to go to all this trouble Amanda."

"What trouble? You know me, I love to cook and well Mother took the boys skiing and so I'm all alone anyway so I just thought it would be nice to make sure you had something healthy to eat."

"Thank you Amanda. It is very thoughtful of you."

Amanda quickly got busy while Lee sat at the table and watched her. It made him tired just watching her prepare the two meals. The soup was ready first so she sat a big bowl of it down in front of him. As he took his first bite, he hummed with pleasure. "Amanda, this is amazing. This has to be the best soup I have ever tasted."

"Thanks Lee. That's awfully nice of you to say."

"No, I really mean it. You are a great cook. Why don't you have a bowl of soup with me? I hate eating alone since I have company."

Amanda paused but then realized she had rushed out without eating much so she poured some of the hot contents into a bowl for herself and sat down across from him.

"So how long are the doctors keeping you out of work?" Amanda asked.

"Until after the New Year. I guess it is okay because right now I feel tired a lot. I still can't get over how much being shot by an automatic rifle takes out of you."

"I'm just glad it was only your shoulder." Amanda said.

"Yeah, me too."

The phone rang at that moment and Lee reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" Lee said.

Amanda couldn't hear what the voice on the other end was saying at all. She also couldn't tell who it was or even if it was a male or female.

"Oh Nothing. I'm just having some lunch." He paused and Amanda noticed he didn't mention her. "Yeah, I think I will be feeling better by New Year's Eve. Why? What did you have in mind?" Another pause and then Amanda saw Lee's face light up.

"Really? Are you sure? Oh, that would be incredible. How could anyone say no to that. Oh she will be so excited. She really enjoyed it the last time. Yes, we will keep that part a secret. Thanks so much. It will give us something to look forward to. Okay bye." Lee said as he hung up.

Amanda had taken their empty bowls and washed them out. She had removed the meatloaf from the oven and packaged it in small containers that she had brought there knowing that Lee probably didn't have anything to store it in. She placed everything inside the fridge and had just finished when Lee hung up the phone.

"I think I need to get going. I've taken up enough of your time." Amanda said as she reached for her purse.

"You have to leave? I thought you said that your Mother and the boys were away?"

"I did but obviously you are making New Year's Eve plans and you don't need me here being all nosy and getting in your way." Amanda said with a little sadness in her voice.

"Amanda, if you are going to eavesdrop, you need to learn how to hear both parties. That was Billy. He knows how much I'm going to hate laying around all week so he just called to tell me that there is a special agency party being thrown on New Year's and he wanted to invite both you and I to it."

"Me?" Amanda squeaked.

Lee smiled and said "Yes, both of us. There are two surprise guests too but I'm not allowed to tell you who they are."

"Someone I know?" Amanda said with curiosity.

"Oh yeah and someone you really like too."

"I like a lot of people Lee. I can't imagine who would be at this party that I don't already see all the time."

"Good! Then it will be a fun secret when you discover who they are on Saturday night. I'll pick you up around 7pm. Will that be okay?"

"Oh No, I can't go!"

"What do you mean you can't go?" Lee asked as his face fell.

"I'm supposed to be spending the night on a date with Dean."

"Oh Amanda, trust me. You will regret it for a long time if you choose not to go to this party with me and go out with Dean instead."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you. Trust me, you will."

"Well how am I going to get out of this date?" Amanda asked.

"I don't know, tell him that you are sick or something."

"Yeah, I guess I could do that. But why? Why do I need to be there?"

"It's a secret. One of the guests specifically asked if you were going to be there and well let's just say that we wouldn't want to let this guest down. Okay? Good, now it is settled." Lee said with finality in his voice.

"Fine" Amanda said. "I just hate to hear how upset Dean is going to be when I tell him I'm too sick to go out."

"Amanda! Is the man a child? I'm sure he will get over it."

Amanda sighed and wondered why she was arguing. She had a feeling she was going to have a lot more fun on New Year's Eve with Lee Stetson than she would have had with Dean McGuire.

"Okay, well I should get home and let you get some sleep. What should I wear to this party?" Amanda asked.

"This will be a formal type party so a nice gown would be appropriate." Lee suggested.

"Alright, I'll see you Saturday then."

As Amanda left, she couldn't help but wonder who this mysterious guest was that insisted on her being there. She had met several people now on the different cases she had helped Lee with but none of them would make a trip to DC or go to a formal party. She found herself totally stumped as she got into her car and headed for home.

As Lee watched Amanda leave, he couldn't help but smile. This visit from this particular guest was perfect timing considering what Amanda had just done for her country. He knew that this was going to be one New Year's Eve she would never forget. He was still smiling as he crawled into bed and turned out his light as he drifted off to sleep.

 **TBC**

( **A/N please don't give away the guest in any reviews once you realize who it is. Some of you got some inside information during the last story. I just don't want to spoil it for someone who doesn't know yet. Thanks. Thanks also for all the support I have had for this story too. I'm so glad that more people are starting to read them and enjoy them. I really appreciate all the kind words and the nice pm's that some of you have written to me. You are the best!)**


	13. Chapter 13 - All Alone

**Chapter 13 – All Alone**

Dotty called Amanda on Monday night to let her know that the resort was offering a special for the holiday and that they had gotten a ski package that cost the same for 4 nights as it would have for just one night. She also got a huge discount on the boys skiing so they had decided to stay until Friday afternoon. Amanda talked to the boys and they were both so excited that she was glad that they could stay.

"Plus Grandma is enjoying hanging out with Mr. Lewis anyway." Jamie said.

"Who's Mr. Lewis?" Amanda asked.

"He plays the piano in the ski lodge" Phillip answered. "Oh gotta go Mommy. We'll see you Friday." Phillip said as he hung up the phone.

Amanda chuckled. Only her Mother would pick up a piano player at a ski lodge during Christmas break. It was good that the boys would be there to chaperone her.

It would be strange having the house all to herself during Christmas break but it would allow her to make a dress for this party. Her mind went back to who the mysterious guest might be but she still couldn't figure it out. It was definitely going to be interesting.

Amanda headed for upstairs. After a relaxing bath complete with bubbles, she curled up on her bed and began reading one of the books that Billy gave her. This one trained the new agent on survival techniques if one was stuck in their car during a blizzard.

She smiled as she read it because much of the training was very similar to the Junior Trailblazers. The first step was to make sure the tailpipe was clear of snow. Under no circumstances were you to leave the car as people would likely be looking for you and you might get lost by trying to walk in the snow. Conserve gas but turn the car on now and then to warm yourself up while always double checking the exhaust to make sure the snow was not building up in front of it. It was important to do flexing exercises to help keep yourself warm. Hopefully you brought water with you but if not, you would need to melt some snow as it was crucial that you stayed hydrated. And put roadside flares out in hopes that someone would spot you. If no one came and you have to leave the car, dress in layers and make sure you stay hydrated.

Amanda really hoped that this was one training exercise she would never need. She soon fell asleep thinking about it.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

The rest of the week inched by slowing for both Lee and Amanda. Amanda had hoped that Lee would pop up at her house since her Mother wasn't there but Lee found that he was truly tired and took the days off to rest and get his energy back. The food that Amanda left him was perfect and he would have to remember to thank her again. He could almost get used to cooking like that. It was certainly better than the restaurant food he was used to.

Billy had stopped in to see him a couple of times and the two of them spent some time putting the finishing touches on security for the New Year's Eve party. The special guests would be arriving that morning so everything had to be perfect by then. Billy knew that Lee was still not 100% because he wasn't demanding to come back to work. He was glad he could have him help out on this though so that he would feel useful. He especially knew that Lee wanted to make it special for Amanda.

On Friday afternoon, Dotty and the boys arrived back in Arlington and they had a lot of stories to tell. Amanda soon got to hear all about Phillip going down the big hill and jumping near the bottom so high that Jamie was afraid he would get killed. She smiled as Jamie talked about how fast they both learned to go and how their instructor gave them both ribbons for making the most progress in such a short period of time. She finally sent the boys upstairs to wash up for dinner.

"So Mother, are you going to tell me about Mr. Lewis?" Amanda asked.

"There's nothing to tell Amanda. He was a very nice man. He knew how to tickle my ivories I will say though."

"MOTHER!"

"Well you did ask Dear." Dotty pointed out.

"Yes I did. Will you see him again?"

"Sadly no. He's perfectly content living there and has no intentions on moving anywhere else. It was fun while it lasted though." Dotty said wistfully.

The boys came back downstairs at that moment and they all dug into Amanda's Shepherd's Pie. After dinner, Amanda said she would do the dishes and suggested they all turn in early since it had been a busy week. As Amanda stood doing the dishes, she wondered how Lee was. She should have called him but she had been so busy making sure her dress was perfect that she hadn't had time. She was quite proud of the dress though. It was black with a modest neckline. She had sewn sequins onto the front so that it sparkled in the light. It had a full skirt but was cut so that she could show off her beautiful legs without revealing too much. She had decided not to wear a headband with it. Instead she would wear some fake diamond earrings that she had found in a thrift shop and carry her black leather hand purse. She hoped it would be dressy enough for this event. This would be the first time she was asked so she had no idea how well agency people dressed up for New Year's Eve.

Amanda was tired though so she decided to take her own advice and head to bed early too. It didn't take long for her to fall fast asleep as she continued to think about this party. She still needed to call Dean and tell him she couldn't make their date.

 **TBC**


	14. Chapter 14- The Surprise

**Chapter 14 - The Surprise**

Lee knew this wasn't a date but he couldn't help but feel like it was. Billy had stopped by that morning to go over the final arrangements for security and then told Lee to have a good time. He had plenty of agents who would be there to make sure that everyone stayed safe. Lee was feeling a lot better and was glad his shoulder was finally showing signs of healing. He had gone to the doctor the day before and was given the go ahead for the party but told that there was no heavy lifting in his immediate future.

At 6:30, he headed for Arlington. He pulled up to the curb a couple of blocks away and waited for Amanda. At exactly 7pm, he saw her come out of her house, look down the street and then begin walking to him. He had to catch his breath as he watched her though. The dress she was wearing showed off every bit of her figure and was beautiful. He wondered where she would have gotten such a fabulous dress. She soon reached the car and got inside and immediately asked if she looked okay.

"Amanda, you look great. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, the suspense is killing me."

As Lee pulled away from the curb, he asked "How did Dean take the news?"

"Oh poor Dean. He had plans to take me to an expensive restaurant and I had to call and tell him I was too sick to go. Then I had to tell my Mother later this afternoon that I was feeling a little better and had gotten a call from one of my clients. This client has a beautiful collie and the guests had begun to arrive and the collie wouldn't stop barking at them so since the dog loved me so much, they invited me to the party so I could take control of the dog."

Lee burst out laughing. "She bought that story?"

"It's not funny Lee. I hate lying to Mother and I don't know what stories she believes anymore. I've made up so many stories that I'm starting to believe them."

Lee continued to laugh as he drove to the function Hall where the party was being held. As they pulled up, a man came out to park Lee's car but Lee explained to him that no one but Lee was allowed to drive his car. The man told Lee to go park in the parking lot to the left. After the car was parked, Lee helped Amanda out of it and they walked together to the front door.

"I'm really getting nervous Lee." Amanda confessed.

"Why? Remember they requested you be here. They want to see you."

"I know but I just can't imagine who would request that."

"I'm sure you will know in a minute. Shall we?" Lee offered his arm and the two of them walked inside together.

There was a live band playing jazz in the corner with a huge dance floor. In the middle of the room were several buffet tables loaded with all kinds of foods and desserts. The place was mobbed with people. Amanda didn't recognize any of them.

"Maybe they didn't come." Amanda suggested. At that moment, there was a hush in the crowd as two people entered the building.

"Oh My Gosh" Amanda exclaimed and then looked at Lee. Lee smiled at her and said "Why don't we go say hello to our friends."

Before they could start walking, the woman guest looked up and caught Amanda's eyes. "AMANDA! Oh I'm so happy you could come" She said as she began hurrying to get to Amanda. The two women met and hugged each other for what seemed a long time. Finally Amanda let her go and looked at her. "I can't believe you are here. I just can't believe it. You are really here in front of me? Lee told me that it was something that I would want to see but I couldn't think of who it would be. And here you are, right here. Oh my Gosh! It is so nice to see you Penny."

 **TBC**


	15. Chapter 15 - The Invite

**Chapter 15 - The Invite**

 **A/N For the people outside of the US, it was mentioned that you might not be familiar with state abbreviations. Here is a list of the states that I might use in this story**

 **VA is Virginia**

 **CT is Connecticut**

 **RI is Rhode Island**

 **MA is Massachusetts**

 **NY is New York**

 **NH is New Hampshire**

 **New England is a region made up of six diverse U.S. states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.**

"Didn't Mr. Stetson tell you that I would be here?" Penny asked.

"No, he kept it as a surprise. He just told me it was someone I would want to see and that you had requested I be here."

"Mr. Stetson! You weren't supposed to keep it a secret!" Penny said with a glint in her eye.

"Please call me Lee and it was much more fun to keep it as a surprise."

"Did you think Amanda wouldn't come if you told her?" Penny asked.

"I knew she would come. She has talked about you many times since you went back home. I believe she mentioned that you write to each other. So why didn't you tell her?" Lee asked with the same glint in his eye back at Penny.

Penny chuckled and said "Because I wanted to surprise her too."

"Well it was a nice surprise. But please tell me what you are doing here. Is there trouble?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. My favorite niece is getting married next weekend so Rheza agreed to bring me back for a mini vacation. I made him promise to stop in DC so I could see you first."

"Oh Penny, that is so sweet. This is truly a nice surprise."

"Well I'm sure Mr. Stet ummm, I mean Lee won't mind if I steal you for a little bit so we can go talk, would you Lee?"

"Of course not! I'll introduce Rheza around to some of the important people who are here." Lee answered.

Penny put her arm through Amanda's and dragged her to the other side of the room where it was quieter.

"Soo I'm dying to hear all about it!" Penny said.

"Dying to hear about what?" Amanda asked.

"About you and Lee. When I left, you two were having a...well you know. I'm wondering if it has gone any further."

"Oh Penny. I'm sorry but you are going to be very disappointed. Lee and I work together as Bo pointed out. I'm afraid it is all in your mind that we were ever having a thing together."

"Nonsense! I can tell you both care about each other. You look good together and there is no reason for you not to date each other, is there?"

"Oh no, I'm not involved with Lee. Penny, he is a womanizer. I'm not his type. We don't even have anything in common other than the agency. Truly. It is okay. I'm sorry I misled you but I really think you have to let those thoughts go."

"We'll see. I think you would be surprised at how much you have in common. Plus you know the old saying how opposites attract."

Amanda laughed and said "We aren't going to talk about Lee Stetson all night are we?"

"No we are not. How is your Mother? The boys?"

"Everyone is good. They just came home from a skiing vacation."

"Didn't you go with them?"

"No, I decided that I should stay behind. You see, Lee was shot on Christmas Eve..."

"Lee was shot? That sounds horrible." Penny interrupted.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad but luckily it was just in the shoulder and so I thought I should stay behind in case he needed anything." Amanda watched as Penny's face broke into a smile.

"Oh no, don't you start those thoughts again. He's just a friend and well friends take care of each other, right?"

"Sure Amanda, anything you say." Penny said as they walked over to the buffet table to grab some food. Rheza and Lee had ambled over at the same time so they all piled food onto plates and then sat down to eat together. Rheza had ordered a couple of expensive bottles of wine and they were in ice buckets on the table. He poured glasses for everyone and said the first toast "To Friendship!"

Everyone clinked their glasses as they said "To Friendship"

Lee noticed that Penny kept eyeing him and it made him feel uncomfortable. He remembered that she thought Amanda and he were lovers but he thought by now that Amanda would have convinced her otherwise.

"So Lee, Amanda tells me that you were shot."

Lee looked at Amanda as if to ask why she would tell her that but Amanda suddenly found the piece of broccoli she was eating to be very fascinating.

"Yeah. Not the best way to spend Christmas for sure."

"I'll bet. Are you back to full duty at the agency yet?"

"No, the doctors are keeping me out for at least another week."

"Great!" Penny said. "Rheza has graciously brought me back to the states for my favorite niece's wedding. It is not until next Sunday morning though. As you know, I'm originally from NH so we have rented a cabin in Lincoln NH until Saturday and plan to go there to relax, take in the scenery and maybe a little skiing. Now I know you can't ski but I thought maybe you and Amanda would like to come with us and enjoy the peacefulness of NH. The cabin has 4 bedrooms so there is plenty of room and it would be our treat. Please say you will come."

Lee looked at Amanda to see her reaction and noticed a bit of hesitation on her part. She deserved a vacation after all she had gone through and she didn't take one when her Mother went away with the boys. He was afraid if he went too that Amanda would bow out.

"Look, I am not on full time at the agency but Billy still has me doing little things so I probably shouldn't go. Amanda, you go though. I know you will have a good time and you deserve a little vacation."

"Lee, you should go. It will give you a chance to rest that arm and let it heal. I mean I have the boys to think about and Mother and I shouldn't probably leave Arlington when they just got back."

"Amanda, that is what I'm talking about. They just got back from enjoying some time away and you didn't go with them. Now is the perfect time for you to get away for a little while."

"But Lee" Amanda started.

"Come on Guys, this is an invite for both of you." Penny laughed. "You sound like an old married couple arguing about where to go on vacation. We really want you both to come but Amanda you simply must come regardless if Lee does or not. Please say you will?" Penny begged.

Amanda looked at Lee who smiled and nodded to encourage her.

"Okay, when are you leaving to go there?" Amanda asked.

"We leave in the morning."

"Oh, well I can't do that. Tomorrow is New Year's Day and Mother will be upset if I don't stick around for the day. I already was absent most of Christmas Eve and now New Year's Eve. I just have to stay home for New Year's Day. If you can give me directions, I could drive up to NH after I put the boys on the bus on Monday."

"We can definitely do that. Lee, if you change your mind, there is definitely plenty of room, okay?"

"Sure, thanks for the invite. This will give you ladies plenty of time to gossip." Lee said.

"Yeah, but meanwhile you are leaving me all alone with them." Rheza said.

Everyone chuckled. "Why don't we all get up and dance?" Penny suggested.

Rheza and Penny got up and then looked at Amanda and Lee. Lee smiled and said "Shall we?"

"Sure" Amanda agreed and they all went onto the dance floor.

Lee regretted saying he wouldn't go to NH. It wasn't like he had much going on in DC and it might have been fun to just horse around in the snow with Amanda and relax. The problem with all of that was that he was already struggling with this attraction he was feeling for her. He had only known her for about 2 months and already she knew more about him than women who had known him for years. It was probably for the best to not spend any additional time with Amanda King. She wasn't his type and it wasn't fair for him to get involved with her when he knew how she felt about such things and he couldn't see it being a lasting relationship. Plus she had Phillip and Jaime and he sure didn't want to do anything to hurt them. Oh wait, Dean was still in the picture too. Why hadn't she broken up with him yet? He was definitely not her type either. Who was Amanda King's type?

As all those thoughts were going on in his head, he hadn't realized how closely they were dancing together. Amanda had noticed but she was enjoying it too much and couldn't seem to make herself tell him that they were too close. She remembered their first dance together when she met him about the package and how close he had held her that night too. Why was she so attracted to this man? They had nothing in common but yet she found that she enjoyed being with him. She felt his hand rubbing her back as they danced and it took all she had not to reach up and kiss him. Neither of them noticed that Penny was watching them and had a sly smile on her lips.

When the song ended, the magical spell seemed to break and Lee and Amanda quickly stepped away from each other like they had both just been burnt. Amanda dipped her head a little in embarrassment while Lee tried to act like it was no big deal. He wasn't sure if he had ever enjoyed dancing with a woman so much though. They all went back to their seats. Everyone spent the rest of the night telling stories and soon it was midnight.

The whole place came alive as noise makers were used, confetti fell from the ceiling and everyone began toasting each other. Rheza and Penny shared a very passionate kiss while Amanda and Lee diverted their eyes and looked shyly at each other.

"Happy New Year Amanda!" Lee said. "Happy New Year Lee" Amanda returned as they clinked their wine glasses together.

Then all 4 toasted each other to a great 1984 and clinked their glasses together. Rheza and Penny got up and danced one final dance but Lee knew it wouldn't be a good idea to dance with Amanda again. So he sat with her instead and said "I'm so glad you agreed to go with them. I know you are going to have a really fun time."

"Lee, you should really come too."

"I think that you deserve time to hang out with Penny without me being there. Besides, if I'm there, she will think that there is something between us. This way maybe it will convince her that there isn't."

"Oh yeah, it would be best if she doesn't think there is anything between us." Amanda agreed.

Lee looked at her funny but before he could say anything, Rheza and Penny rejoined them.

As they sat down, Rheza said "If we are going to be on the road early, we should head back to our hotel and get some sleep dear."

"Yes, I suppose you are right. Amanda, I'm so excited you are coming to spend time with us. We will have so much fun together. Lee the invite stands in case you change your mind." Penny said.

"Thanks. I'll make sure Amanda gets the directions." Lee said as he evaded the invite again for himself. After hugs between the two ladies and handshakes between the men, everyone walked out to collect their cars. Lee told Amanda to wait with the Royal couple while he ran to get his car.

"Amanda, it is good to see you walking so well too. It was awful seeing you hobble around when I came last month."

"I know, my leg is nearly healed. I still find myself limping at times but at least I don't have to wear that cast anymore."

"Well I promise no horses this week but do you ski?"

"Oh yeah, I can ski. I haven't done it in awhile."

"Oh I haven't either and Rheza has never been so we have to hit the slopes one day during the week."

"Sounds fun." Amanda said as the Valet arrived with their car and Lee pulled up right behind with his Porsche.

"Bye! See you in a couple of days." Amanda said after one last hug. Lee waved as Amanda got into the car and they all drove off into the night."

 **TBC**


	16. Chapter 16 - New Year's Day

**Chapter 16 - New Year's Day**

"Mother, do you remember Princess Penny?"

"Well of course I do Dear. She is a lovely lady."

"Well they are visiting for a family wedding and have invited me to come spend some time with them in NH."

"Oh that's wonderful Darling. I know how well you two got along. Is that where you were last night? You know Dean called after you left hoping to talk to you and possibly stop by to baby you through your sickness. Darling, why did you tell him you were sick?"

"Well I wasn't feeling well earlier when I called him but then I felt better later on. When my client asked me to their party, I didn't feel I had a choice since they are one of my best clients. I did meet Penny and Rheza there. It turns out that they were friends of friends of my client and had been invited so that the party would get more attendance since Royalty would be there."

"I see. Amanda, sometimes your stories don't even make sense. Anyway, what should I tell Dean when he asks where you are now?"

"Tell him the truth Mother. I will be in NH until Saturday with Penny and Rheza."

"When are you leaving dear?" Dotty asked.

"I'll leave after the boys get on the bus tomorrow. Penny said it is about a 10 hour drive depending on how the traffic is and how many breaks I take so I should be there early evening. I hope you don't mind Mother but I could use a vacation and most of my clients are still out of town and well you know how fond of the Princess I am. They are leaving today but I wanted to be able to spend today with all of you so I told her I would come on Monday."

"Yes Dear. I understand. Well let's turn on the Tournament of Roses Parade. I'll fix us some tea and we can sit and enjoy that."

"Thanks Mother."

"No need to thank me Dear. You deserve some time on vacation too. The boys and I will be just fine. Now let's go watch that parade."

The ladies enjoyed the parade while the boys listened to their music. Everyone was excited because the Redskins were playing the Rams that afternoon. Amanda had called Dean earlier to invite him over to watch but he told her he wasn't feeling well. She smiled as she wondered if he thought he was paying her back for her lie yesterday. After the parade ended, Phillip ran upstairs to dress in his Redskins uniform while Amanda and her Mother went into the kitchen to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone to eat during the game.

Phillip soon came back downstairs all dressed up like a Redskin.

"Phillip that uniform looks great on you." Dotty said. "Sure does" Amanda agreed. Phillip meanwhile was beaming. He took the tray of sandwiches and carried it out to the livingroom. Amanda and Dotty followed behind with a pitcher of iced tea and a bowl of potato salad. Jamie looked up from the magazine he had been reading and took off his headphones.

"Jamie? Don't you think that is a little loud to have so close to your ears sweetie?" Amanda asked.

"No, I can still hear fine Mom." Jamie answered. Amanda let out a sigh and decided it was an argument for another day since the game was starting. The family loved cheering on the Redskins and loved it even more when they won 51 to 7 against the Rams. Phillip was beaming "Look Momma, I brought them good luck by wearing my uniform."

"You sure did Phillip. Okay, your grandmother and I need to go make dinner now. Why don't you two go outside for a little while?"

"Okay, come on Jamie. Let's go see if the boys want to shoot hoops." The boys put on their winter things and headed out the door.

After they left, Dotty said to Amanda "It's too bad you upset Dean Amanda. You know it would have been nice to have him here for New Year's Day."

"Mother! I didn't do it purposely. I did invite him over but he said he wasn't feeling well."

"I know Darling but men are needy and he had plans last night so when you broke them, it upset him greatly. I hope you both can make up soon."

"Yes Mother." Amanda put the chicken in to roast and the cleaned up the lunch dishes. As she cleaned the dishes, she thought about how she hoped Lee hadn't said no to this trip just because of her. It might have been fun to go skiing with him though maybe a little awkward while she was with Penny and Rheza. She knew he didn't do normal things and this trip was way too normal for him.

The oven timer went off and Amanda pulled the chicken out. The boys had already come home since they couldn't find anyone outside. After dinner, Amanda said she needed to go pack. Since the boys had to go to school the next day, they went upstairs to take showers and get their things ready for the morning.

Amanda wasn't sure what Penny had planned, so she packed several layers of clothing along with one nice red dress in case they went out. As an after thought, she also included the red plaid shirt that Dean had given to her. It was comfortable and would be great to have in front of the fire in the cabin.

She always kept spare blankets in the car but she also filled up several bottles full of water and left them in the back seat beside the blankets. As the training tape had confirmed for her, you always needed to be prepared. Having stored her suitcase that held her clothing in the car, Amanda felt satisfied that the morning should go smoothly. She thought about calling Lee to see if he needed anything before she left but she knew he wouldn't tell her the truth anyway. She decided to turn in since she had a long drive ahead of her in the morning.

 **TBC**


	17. Chapter 17 - Road Trip

**Chapter 17 - Road Trip**

 **A/N Just a reminder that this is a story that happened between episodes. If it was indeed a real aired episode, we would have no knowledge at this point of anything other than what happened at the end of the Long Christmas Eve. Try to keep that in mind as you read the rest of this story. Fasten your seat belts as Amanda would say.**

Amanda got up at the crack of dawn and finished her packing of all those last minute things. After placing the suitcase in her car, she headed back inside to start breakfast for the family. She made up plates of waffles along with sausage and had them ready when the boys came downstairs. Her Mother arrived shortly afterward while still yawning.

"Dear are you all packed and ready to go?"

"Yes Mother. I'm just going to see the boys off and then I'll head out. If I leave when they leave, I should be in Lincoln by dinnertime and not have to drive in the dark too long."

"That's a wise idea Amanda."

"Thanks Mother. Okay boys, the bus should be here any second. Do you have your books and your lunch money?"

"Yes Mother. Bye Mommy" they both said together as the bus pulled up. Amanda gave both of them big hugs and told them to behave for their Grandmother and then watched them get onto the bus. After the bus was on its way, Amanda wemt back into the kitchen to do up the dishes. Her Mother was already in the process of doing it though and was nearly done.

"Are you sure you are okay with me leaving?" Amanda asked.

"Dear, go have fun. We'll be fine. If you see any movie stars up there, make sure you get their autograph." Dotty said.

"Movie Stars? Why would I see movie stars in NH?" Amanda asked.

"Oh well you never know." Dotty said with a giggle.

Amanda couldn't help but smile back and said "I guess you don't. Have a good week Mother." Amanda grabbed a thermos of Coffee that she had prepared for the drive and after a quick hug, she headed for her car. She stopped by the agency to pick up the map and directions that Lee had promised to leave for her and then headed for the George Washington Parkway and was on her way. It was too quiet so she tuned in the radio to a soft rock music station and poured herself a cup of coffee. Her Mother had given her a plate of brownies to bring to share with Penny and Rheza and Amanda had it sitting on the front seat. Amanda had also brought along some snack foods like nuts, granola and some popcorn.

It didn't take long for Amanda to feel lonely. She really wished that Lee had agreed to come so she would have had company along the way. It wasn't often that she found herself so alone since usually the boys went places with her. The drive to New Jersey seemed to take forever but finally she found herself crossing over the border. She had been to New Jersey when she was younger. She continued driving on and after a few more hours, she crossed over into New York. As she moved along NY, she realized she was going to have to drive through the Bronx. She had never heard anything good about that part of NY so it did worry her a little but nothing happened and she drove safely through.

She decided to stop in CT to take a bathroom break and to have some lunch. She had fond memories of working a case in this state with Lee so it seemed right to stop here. She found a little diner and decided to take a break from driving so she ordered a salad along with a chicken sandwich. The waitress didn't have many customers so she came over as Amanda was waiting and asked "You aren't from around here. Are you a tourist?"

"Sort of. I have friends waiting for me in Lincoln NH."

"That is still a bit of a drive. How long have you been driving?"

"It has been almost 6 hours now. I came from Arlington, VA." Amanda answered.

"You are brave driving all by yourself. Aren't you worried?"

"Should I be?" Amanda asked.

"No, I guess not. I just never travel. I think I'm too scared to go that far away from home."

"Well you will never get to enjoy this great country if you don't travel." Amanda reminded her.

"That's true. Oh, your food is up. Hang on while I go get it."

Amanda couldn't believe how much food was delivered to her table. There was no way she could eat all of that. She hated to just throw the extra away though so when she finished eating, she asked for a box to take most of it with her. She figured that if she didn't make it to Lincoln before they had dinner, she would at least have leftovers from lunch that she could eat. She said goodbye to Tina, the waitress and then headed out to her car. She placed the container in the back of the Station Wagon where it would keep it the most cold.

Amanda turned the car back toward the highway and soon was back on her way. It took awhile to finish crossing CT but soon she found herself in MA. She had never come this far north before and someday she hoped to bring her family out to see Boston since it was such a historical city. She knew that Boston had a reputation for being a tough place to drive through so she was glad she would be on the outskirts and not have to actually go through Boston. It took just over an hour to cross into NH. She stopped in Salem to refill her gas tank and to buy a coffee since she had emptied her thermos quite awhile ago. Penny had offered to give her money for the drive but Amanda had enough money for the travel and didn't want them to pay for everything. She went inside and bought a pint of milk, a coffee and then prepaid $20 for gas on her credit card. She wondered if there would ever be a day when you could just swipe your card outside at the pump. It sure would save a lot of time if you were traveling. The cashier was very nice though and was a young girl. Since Amanda was the only one in the store, the girl decided to chat.

"You aren't from around here are you?"

"No, I'm from Arlington, VA." Amanda answered.

"Wow, that's a long way from home." The girl said. "Are you here to see family? I mean if you don't mind me asking?"

"No, a couple of dear friends of mine have rented a cabin in Lincoln and invited me to vacation with them for a few days."

"Oh, you will like Lincoln. It is beautiful up there. They did just get a lot of snow though and you never know what you will be driving through when you go through the White Mountains."

"White Mountains?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, it is what the locals call the area up there. The Mountains cover about a quarter of the state of NH and they had to make roads through them in order for people to pass through. It can be freezing rain one minute and then a heavy snow storm the next. It is always like going through the Twilight Zone when you pass through them."

"Wow that sounds dangerous." Amanda said.

"It's not too bad. Just take your time and you will be fine. Have a fun vacation." The girl named Sonja said as she turned to wait on another customer.

"Thanks." Amanda replied as she hurried out to her car. She definitely wanted to get through these White Mountains before it turned dark but upon looking at the map, she realized that it was pretty much her destination. She could only hope the bad weather would stay away while she made her way to Lincoln.

She turned the Station Wagon north as she hurried to her destination. As she passed Concord, NH, she couldn't help but look at the beautiful capital building. She was sure her family would love the quaintness of this state too. It was definitely worth thinking about planning a trip to New England. The people all seemed nice too and definitely knew their normal customers since they knew right away she was a stranger. She continued through Concord and then noticed that the traffic became almost non-existent. She could see that she was going through towns that were much more rural than Manchester or Concord had been though.

As the miles ticked by, Amanda soon passed a sign saying she was entering Plymouth NH. She could tell that she must be getting close to Lincoln because suddenly the roads were hillier and she could see that the mountains in the distance were getting much closer than they had before. She couldn't believe how beautiful it was. It had snowed early that day and so there was about 4 feet of snow at least piled up on the sides of the roads. Thankfully it had stopped snowing and the plows had been out to do their jobs so the roads were just wet but not slippery. There also was absolutely no cars on the road. Amanda wasn't sure where everyone was but she hadn't seen a car for miles. It was weird driving on a major highway that had no traffic.

Amanda was so caught up in her thoughts and intrigued with the scenery that it had never occurred to keep an eye out for a tail. Why would she? No one would be interested in tailing her. In fact, she hadn't noticed the car that followed her all the way from Arlington. She had just passed the Plymouth exit when suddenly the car behind her sped up and rammed the back of her Station Wagon. Amanda was glad she was wearing her seat belt because the jolt slammed her against the steering wheel and she would have likely hit her head on the windshield. "Oh My Gosh" She said as she looked in her rear view mirror to see what had just happened. At first she thought she had done something wrong which had cause the car to accidentally hit her. But as she watched, she could see that the black car was advancing on her car quickly again. There was no one else around so Amanda quickly changed lanes in hopes that this was all just a runaway car and not someone intentionally trying to hurt her. The car followed her though and sped up again. It used the lane switch to be able to slam into the car on the left back end just before the back door. "OH MY GOSH!" Amanda yelled as she could feel that she was losing control of her car. The car spun around in the middle of the road and came to a stop since Amanda had taken her foot off the gas. It had stopped in the very middle of the road and she was facing the side of the road. She was just about to start to turn the car back to facing north when she looked up and gasped. After the car had hit her the last time, it had traveled forward as if it was going to leave her. Then suddenly it spun around and now was heading back toward her car again going at least 50 mph. Amanda could only try to prepare for the crash and wonder why this person was doing this. The car hit the side of her car again and the driver purposely used it to shove Amanda's car off the road. The impact was so hard that it sent the station wagon flying over the snow and down a long embankment that overlooked a river. Amazingly the car did not roll but the impact made it catapult down the embankment as it slammed down onto the ground finally and at the last minute before falling to the river below and smashing up among the rocks; it slammed sideways into a tree. Amanda was jolted hard again and her head slammed against the driver's door as the car suddenly came to a stop. Amanda said "OH MY GOSH" one more time and then the world went dark.

The driver of the other car moved a short way up the highway just in case anyone should happen by. From that distance, the driver waited for about 30 minutes for any sign of life. The driver got out and walked over so Amanda's car could be seen if you knew where to look. The driver was completely satisfied because the car was a long ways off the road and even if Amanda was a live, it would be hard to climb up such a steep grade of hill in all that snow. She would likely freeze while trying. There was no movement from Amanda's car though so the driver was convinced that Amanda was already dead. Unless someone knew where to look, no one would notice a car way down over the embankment. It could be weeks before anyone found her. The driver of the other car smiled an evil smile; then turned on the car's headlights and continued to the next exit. It had been a long drive but it was well worth it to kill her here where no one would find her for awhile. Plus it would look just like a city woman who wasn't familiar with driving in the snow got killed on a snow covered road. It was a brilliant plan and now it was time to go home.

 **TBC**


	18. Chapter 18 - Where is She?

**Chapter 18 - Where is She?**

Penny was so excited about Amanda's visit.

"I think we should take her up the Mt. Washington. We could snowmobile I believe. The view would be breathtaking. Oh and of course she simply must see the Old Man in the Mountain. Rheza, can we take a late night sleigh ride together? Of course we must fit in skiing and maybe we can go tubing too."

"Dear, calm down. She isn't even here yet. Maybe she would like to have some time to just relax. Do we have to be on the go the whole time?" Rheza asked.

"Of course not. What was I thinking? Of course she will want time to relax. Well we'll let her decide when she gets here. That reminds me; I thought she would be here around 7pm. I wonder if she hit bad weather along the way. I'm sure she will call if she is going to be much later. I'm glad you talked me into eating. There is plenty we can heat up for her when she gets here."

"If I didn't know better, I would think you were nervous about spending time with Amanda." Rheza teased.

"Oh no, I'm just so excited. I have missed her. It is hard being without friends and having so many not want to be around me. Amanda is different. She never treated me differently and we hit it off right away. "

"I know dear. I was just teasing you. Why don't we get dressed up warmly and go out and look at the stars. We never get to do that at home."

"That sounds wonderful and hopefully Amanda will show up while we are out there."

"I'm sure she will be along any minute now."

They both dressed in down parkas with heavy snow boots and scarves and mittens along with a woolen hat and went outside. They sat in the swing on the porch and had fun trying to locate the different constellations. Over an hour went by before Penny looked at her watch and said "Rheza! It is nearly 9pm. Where could Amanda be?"

"I'm sure she is fine. I think you worry too much."

"I'm going to go inside and call Lee."

"Why are you going to bother him for?"

"He might know what time she left and then we would have a better idea of where she should be right now."

Penny hurried inside and called the agency. Lee wasn't there but after hearing who was calling, the secretary told Penny that she would call him and ask him to call her. They hung up and Penny began frantically pacing.

"Dear, you are going to wear a hole in the carpet." Rheza said.

"I can't help it. I'm really worried."

The phone rang and Penny dove for it. "AMANDA?!" She yelled into the phone.

There was a pause and then Lee said "No, this is Lee. What's going on?"

"Oh hi Lee. Did you talk to Amanda before she left this morning? Any idea what time she left? She had thought she would be here by 7pm but she hasn't showed up yet."

"What? Amanda isn't there yet?" Lee said with a bit of frustration in his voice. He quickly got his emotions under control and said "No, she didn't call me before she left but you know she could have been delayed by her family or laundry or she had to finish washing and drying the dishes before she left." He chuckled in hopes of making it seem like he wasn't worried and added "You know Amanda, any number of things could have delayed her and maybe she didn't leave until lunchtime. She would call if she ran into car trouble. I'm sure she'll be there shortly."

"I hope you are right."

"I know I'm right. I'll bet she got tired and pulled off to take a nap. She's not used to such a long drive. Stop worrying! She is fine. Let me talk to Rheza." Lee asked.

Penny gave Rheza the phone and then went back to the window so she could look into the parking lot and hope Amanda was pulling in. She didn't really hear Rheza's conversation with Lee.

"Yeah, I'm worried too. I know, I know, I was sure she would call. Do you really think she just pulled over to sleep? No, I didn't think so. She is too responsible, she would have called. Yeah, if she doesn't show by morning, we will call the State Police. Thanks Lee. I'll let you know the minute she shows up." Rheza hung up the phone and went over to put an arm around his wife's shoulder.

"I think Lee is right. She's just taking a nap. She probably won't show up until 2 or 3 in the morning so let's go to bed so you can be awake when she arrives, okay?"

Penny was hesitant to follow her husband to bed but finally allowed him to steer her in that direction. It was going to be a long night.

 **TBC**


	19. Chapter 19 - Follow Up

**Chpater 19 - Follow Up**

(Tuesday Morning)

Lee was a little worried when Penny called and said that Amanda hadn't made it to Lincoln yet but he was sure there had to be a logical explanation and that they would call him at any time and tell him that she had arrived. It was a long night as he tried to sleep but kept checking the phone to make sure it was working. Where could she be? This wasn't like her to not call if there was a problem. Rheza had given him the phone number to the cabin so at 7am, Lee called.

"Hi, this is Lee. I hope I didn't wake you up."

"OH Lee, did you hear from Amanda?" Penny said with hope in her voice.

Lee's heart dropped and he said softly "No, I had hoped you did."

"Maybe I should call her Mother and make sure she did leave Arlington."

"No, don't do that. If her Mother finds out that there is a problem, she and the boys will be a wreck. Look I'm going to call some friends of mine with the State Police and see if they can get an APB out for her car in all states."

"Do you think someone kidnapped her and she isn't even in one of the states she should have passed through?"

"I'm not sure." Lee said as he swiped his hand nervously through his hair. "I just know we need them out looking but I don't want it all over the news either."

"Okay, you know what's best Lee. Lee? We are going to find her alive aren't we?"

Lee swallowed hard as Penny voiced this thought and he could hear the tears in her voice as she asked it. "We sure are going to try. Don't give up hope Penny. Amanda is pretty resourceful so if she is alive, she will be fighting to stay alive. That much I do know."

"Okay, well we should keep this line free in case she tries to call. Thanks for your help Lee. I know she is important to you too. Bye now." Penny hung up before he could answer.

Lee looked at the dead receiver and wondered how this suburban housewife had become so important to him but it was the truth. The thought that she might be dead was almost too much to bear. He needed to do something though so he called an old friend of his who worked for the Virginia State Police and told him what they knew. The Lieutenant promised to get the word out immediately but quietly so they could begin an all states search for either Amanda and/or her car.

Meanwhile after Penny hung up with Lee, Rheza walked up and hugged her from the back. "We will find her. Look, I'm going to hire a helicopter to begin searching for her. She couldn't have just disappeared."

"But she could be anywhere. She might not have even made it to NH."

"I know but I have to do something to find her. We will find her Penny."

"Yes, but will we find her alive?" Penny softly and sadly said after Rheza left the room to go make his phone call. "Oh Amanda, where are you?"

 **TBC**


	20. Chapter 20 - Lee's Worst Nightmare

**Chapter 20 - Lee's Worst Nightmare**

Lee couldn't take being stuck in his apartment a minute longer so he decided to go to the agency and see if any of his family knew what might have happened to her. There was a small possibility that Amanda's disappearance had something to do with him. Maybe someone knew something or could give him information that would lead him to where she might be. He walked into Billy's office first and told him what had happened.

"Why didn't you call me?" Billy demanded to know.

"I didn't think it was a problem at first. I thought maybe she got lost or got tired or something but she would have called by now unless there was a problem. She knows she can call the agency using the 800 line so it shouldn't be a money issue."

"Well you know I can't give up agency people for a civilian but you are off duty right now Lee so if you want to try to find her, I can't stop you."

"Thanks Billy. I have the State Police looking for her. If she doesn't show up today, I'm probably going to head up and see if I can find anything. In the meantime, I thought I would check with some of the family and see if anyone knows anything. If Amanda has been kidnapped, it has to be about me. She has never done anything to anyone her whole life."

"Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you through Amanda?"

"No. No one that I can think of who isn't still in jail. It's always possible that someone has hired someone while they are in jail so they have an alibi. Maybe my family can shed some light on that too."

"Okay, well go see what you can find out. Lee, make sure you stay in touch. We don't need you to end up missing too."

"Yeah." Lee got up and headed to his desk. He spent the rest of the day calling every contact he had and not one of them had heard anything about someone trying to get even with him through Amanda. Finally at 6pm, he decided to give up. Whatever happened to Amanda didn't seem to have any connection to him. He was relieved about that but at the same time disappointed because knowing why she was missing would have helped him to find her.

He knocked on Billy's door and told him that he had struck out. "I'm going to head home. I think I will get up early and start driving to NH. I called my State Police friend and they have had no luck finding any sign of the Station Wagon. I faxed over a picture of Amanda so they would have an image to look for. Billy, I can't just sit here and wait to hear anything."

"I know. You have to go. Please just make sure you check in every 3 or 4 hours, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks Billy."

Billy watched him walk away like he had just lost his best friend. It brought back memories of when Eric was killed. It took Amanda to finally get Lee to stop being so reckless and to care about things again. What was he going to do if Amanda was dead? He wasn't sure that Lee would be able to continue as an agent if he found that out. For all his denials, Billy knew that he had grown very fond of Mrs. King. In doing so, he had let his guard down. He would never forgive himself if she was gone.

Lee drove home and as he walked into his building, he was met by Floyd the Doorman.

"Good evening Mr. Stetson. I hope you don't mind that I let her in. She said she wanted to surprise you and that you would be so happy to see her. She was so nice that I couldn't resist her charm so I let her into your apartment."

"Who Floyd? Who did you let into my apartment?" Lee asked with some hope in his voice.

"I'm so sorry sir. I don't know her name but I have seen her here before."

"Thanks Floyd" Lee said with a huge smile and ran for the elevator. As soon as it let him off at his stop, he ran to his door, unlocked it and ran inside saying "Amanda where have you been and why are you here? Do you know how worried Penny has been about you?"

Something seemed to be purposely slammed to the kitchen floor. Lee noticed that his whole apartment was filled with a wonderful smell of whatever was in his oven."Amanda, are you okay? I'm fine; you don't need to take care of me. You are the one who is supposed to be in NH relaxing. Penny is fit to be tied that you didn't call her."

"Oh Sugar, someone has to take care of you." A female voice said as she came out of the kitchen. "I heard that you got shot. I knew you needed a real woman to come take care of you. Obviously your Amanda doesn't care about you that she would leave you and not even stay in touch with you. Why don't you come lay down on the couch and I'll give you a nice massage."

Lee had stiffened as soon as he heard her voice. In fact, he felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. Could it be that she had done something to Amanda? If so, what and where and was Amanda okay? He knew that he couldn't get angry if he wanted to find out anything though so he put a smile on his face and said "Sheila, so nice of you to come see me. How did you hear that I got shot?"

"Oh you know, those ladies in the Steno Pool love to gossip. Now are you going to take your shirt off and lay on the couch or am I going to have to make you do as I say."

"Actually that is very kind of you but I think a massage would likely hurt since the bullet was in my shoulder. Why don't I fix us both a drink and we can sit and talk."

"That would be nice." Sheila said. She acted like Lee had never rejected her. He fixed her a strong drink while putting mostly ginger ale in his own. She had sat down on the couch so he sat down beside her and handed her the drink. She gulped half it down at once and then put it on the coffee table so she could begin unbuttoning his shirt.

"Sheila, can we talk for a bit, okay?"

"Oh Lee, you were never the talking type. I guess this Amanda changed you. Well it will be good to change you back to the Lee that I love."

"Sheila do you know where Amanda is?"

"She's not here." She said with a satisfied smile.

"No, she is definitely not here. Do you know where she is?" Lee asked again.

"Why do we need to talk about Amanda? She wasn't good for you Lee. Trust me, I know what you need and she wasn't it. Now can we stop talking about her?"

"Okay, okay. I just want to say that if you know where she is though and aren't telling me, I will be very upset with you." Lee said in hopes of getting a response from her.

"I don't know where your precious Mrs. King is Lee but I can tell you this much, you won't miss her for long. She's not your type and she never would have been. You need to get over her though and move on. I can't be with you tonight. You have upset me." Sheila got up and moved to leave.

Lee jumped up and said "I'm sorry I upset you Sheila. You are definitely much more my type. Now why don't you tell me where she is so I can break up with her and then you and I can continue where we left off?"

"You don't need to worry about breaking up with her but you do need to get over her. I have to get some air. Goodbye Lee Stetson. Once you have her out of your head, please call me. We had good times together and I want to rekindle those times. Don't make me wait too long." She reached up and kissed his cheek and ran out the door.

She never admitted to doing anything to Amanda but she also didn't deny it.

Lee went into the bathroom and threw up.

 **TBC**


	21. Chapter 21 - Following the Tracks

**Chapter 21 - Following the Tracks**

"Billy we have a problem. I think I might know what happened to Amanda." Lee quickly filled Billy in on the visit that Lee had from Sheila prior to his being shot and how she showed up just now.

"It is bad. It definitely looks like she has done something to her. Do you think she will tell you if you continue to play off like you don't care?"

"I don't know Billy. The woman is pretty crazy. I think we should put an agency tail on her though. I'm going to wait until daylight and then I'm going to go look for Amanda."

"Okay, in the meantime, I'll get that tail onto her and see if she has Amanda contained somewhere."

"Good idea." Lee agreed. "I'll call you from the road tomorrow."

"Good luck Lee."

"Yeah, thanks."

Lee had kept a copy of the directions that Rheza had given to the agency on where he was staying. He quickly packed a bag of some things and tried to get a little sleep. His mind wouldn't shut down though. He knew Sheila was crazy and he knew that she had threatened Amanda. He should have taken that threat more seriously. How could he be so stupid? She might have killed Amanda out of her jealousy and Lee was going to have to tell her Mother and 2 little boys that she was gone. He slammed his fist into the pillow trying to make it more comfortable. It didn't work and after about an hour of not being able to sleep, he got up and made himself some coffee to take on the road with him. As soon as the light started to come through, Lee hopped into the Porsche and headed out. He didn't know what he was looking for; he just knew he needed to find Amanda. He took his time and kept an eye out for any sign of a vehicle off the road or any possibility of seeing Amanda's station wagon. At one point in CT, he did see one that looked somewhat similar and actually followed it for a short while before he realized it had Connecticut plates on it instead of Virginia and it's coloring was a little darker than Amanda's wagon was. Lee did a U-Turn and headed back towards the highway so he could continue his search. He wasn't thinking straight and he was angry at himself for wasting time following the wrong vehicle. He knew he was way overtired. He finally decided it was best if he pulled off to get something to eat. He also needed to check in with Billy. He found a little diner and walked in and took a corner booth. A young lady with a tag that said her name was Tina walked up and asked "What can I get for you?"

"I'll take a cup of coffee with just a little cream, a salad and a chicken sandwich please."

She wrote up his order and headed to the kitchen to drop it off. As she brought his coffee out to him, she said "Are you just passing through or are you staying in our little town?"

"Just passing through. I'm heading to Lincoln, NH."

"No way! You are the second person this week. Is there something special happening in NH or what?"

"WAIT? You saw someone else stop here who was heading to Lincoln? What day was that? Do you know what time? Was it a woman by herself?"

"Whoa Whoa, slow down. Yes, it was a woman and I couldn't get over how brave she was to drive all the way from Arlington by herself. I would be too scared to do that. I mean anything could happen especially in NH."

"Do you know about what time she came through?"

"Sometime between 1pm and 2pm on Monday. I remembered because the lunch rush was slowing down and I didn't have any customers to wait on."

Lee took out Amanda's picture and asked "Was this her?"

"Yup, that's her alright. Why are you asking me all of these questions? Is she wanted by the law or something?"

"No, she's missing."

The waitress gasped and said "I told her to be careful. You read about these sorts of things happening."

"Was there anyone else who appeared to be with her?"

"No, she was by herself." Tina paused and then said "Now that you mentioned it, a lady did come in and order a cup of coffee and couldn't take her eyes off your lady. As soon as she got up to leave, the other lady went out the door behind her like she was stalking her. I was busy and didn't thing about it until you mentioned it."

"Can you describe that woman for me?"

Tina described Sheila perfectly. So Sheila had followed Amanda all the way. He wondered why she waited and how long did she wait? Lee thanked Tina for her help, asked for a box for the leftover food and told her that he needed to make a phone call. She pointed to the area near the restrooms where there was a payphone. Lee dialed the 800 line into the agency and soon had Billy on the phone.

"Where the hell are you? You were supposed to check in over 3 hours ago" Billy bellowed into the phone.

"I'm sorry Billy. It isn't easy to just stop and find a payphone. Look, I have good news and bad news. I know Amanda was still alive when she hit CT. But the bad news is that the waitress that just confirmed that for me told me that there was a strange woman who seemed to be tailing her. The description she gave me sounds like Sheila."

"Oh dear." Billy said softly into the phone. "Lee do you think Sheila would really follow Amanda all the way up north just to kill her?

"Sadly I do Billy. She threatened her and I didn't take that threat seriously enough. I also didn't give her any more attention. She would be determined that it was Amanda that was keeping us apart and she is just unhinged that she would do whatever she could to make it look like an accident and then she showed up at my place in hopes of having an alibi."

"That's premeditated murder though Lee." There was a pause as Lee reacted to the thought as if he had been punched in the stomach. He then said in a low voice "Let's hope it is only premeditated attempted murder."

"Of course. Okay, well get back on the road. Please check in sooner though. I don't need you hurt somewhere out there too."

"Okay Billy I'll try." Lee hung up the phone and then headed back to the Porsche.

Lee rubbed his hand through his hair as he drove and slammed the steering wheel with his fists a few times. He should have taken the threat from Sheila more seriously. Why didn't he realize that she was just enough of a fruitcake that she would consider doing something like this? He had warned Amanda but that was when he thought she would be in Arlington and near by so he could be there if anything happened. She could be anywhere now. He had to find her. He just had to.

Lee waited until he was out of CT and then began to randomly stop at gas stations along the way and show the picture of Amanda to the attendant. No one knew her or had seen her until he stopped at the Mobile Mart in Salem NH. When Lee showed Sonja the picture of Amanda, she immediately recognized her.

"Wait, she's not wanted or anything is she?" Sonja asked.

"No, she is missing. Do you remember when you saw her?"

"Let me think. I was off Sunday so I'm pretty sure it was Monday afternoon. I think my regulars were just getting off work and starting to come in for their nightly beer so it was probably sometime between 4 and 5pm."

"That's very helpful. Did she mention having any trouble or anything wrong?"

"No, she seemed to be in good spirits and was very cheerful. We were talking about the White Mountains and how driving there can be an adventure."

"What are the White Mountains and why are they an adventure?"

Sonja quickly explained to Lee what she had told Amanda. As she was talking, his heart sunk because he wondered if this was the area Sheila had used to get rid of Amanda. If the travel conditions were that bad through that area, no one would question a car off the road and likely a car off the road might not be able to be seen in all the snow for weeks. He thanked Sonja for her information and raced out to his car. There was no point in stopping anywhere else; he needed to get to those White Mountains. If Amanda was still alive and off the road somewhere, he needed to find her soon or else she would surely freeze to death. He pushed his Porsche onto the highway and went as fast as he dared without getting a speeding ticket. As he passed through Londonderry, Manchester, Hooksett and Concord, he felt that these areas would all be too traffic busy for Sheila to do much. However, as he began leaving the Concord area, the traffic thinned down a lot and by Tilton, there was barely any cars on the road. Lee began searching for any signs of foul play but could see nothing. As he entered the town line of Plymouth, NH he thought it looked like there had been new snowfall recently. He took the first exit and began looking for a police Department. As he was driving toward town, there was a young couple walking together so he slowed down and asked them if they could direct him to it. They quickly gave him directions and he continued to the building.

This police station was like nothing he was used to. He had forgotten how small the stations were in small towns. He got out and walked in to find that there was just one person in the whole building.

"Hi Sergeant Blair" He said as he read the nameplate on the desk.

"Can I help you?" The Sergeant asked.

"I'm looking for this woman." Lee said as he took Amanda's picture out and showed it to him.

"Can I ask why?"

Lee took out his identification and said "She is a civilian who works for the agency part time. She came up to this area for a small vacation with some friends and never showed up Monday when she was supposed to."

"Maybe she stopped along the way and just forgot to call" the Sergeant offered.

"No, not Amanda. She has a family at home and she is very concerned about check in times always. I have reason to believe that she was followed here by a woman who is out to hurt her. I was wondering if there were any Jane Does who got into a car accident or had something else happen to them since Monday?"

"Let me check." The Sergeant used the computer to check but since those records were not always complete, he called the local hospital too and asked. "Thanks for the information" He said as he hung up.

"What? Is she there?" Lee asked while being hopeful.

"I'm really sorry Mr. Stetson but they haven't checked anyone new in all week other than Mrs. Proud who had a baby boy on Tuesday."

Lee let out a huge sigh. "Would your officers know if a car went off the road when they patrolled on Monday?" Lee asked.

"Well unfortunately, that was the day that it snowed on and off all day. In the morning we got a foot of fresh powder and then in the afternoon it stopped but started back up again after 6pm and we got almost another foot. So if there were tracks, the snow likely covered them."

"Damn IT!" Lee exclaimed.

"Sir?"

"I'm sorry. This is just so important. We have to find her. She has 2 young boys at home who need her. What can we do to look for her?"

"I don't mean to upset you but you have to remember that if she has gone off the road, she could have been killed instantly and if she wasn't, she is sitting possibly critically injured in a freezing cold car. It gets pretty cold at night time. The longer she isn't found, the less of a chance we are going to find her alive."

"Don't you think I realize that and that is one of the reasons I'm so upset?" Lee asked.

"Well I think you need to continue on to your friend's place and stay put. I will let our staff know so they can keep any eye out for her. I'm guessing you know what she was driving? Can you give me a description and do you have the plate too?"

Lee gave the Sergeant a full description including the plate #. He then agreed to continue on to Lincoln but gave the agency phone number along with the phone number to the cabin in Lincoln to the Sergeant. He thanked him and headed out to his Porsche. The Sergeant didn't seem very optimistic that Amanda would be found alive. He could only hope he was wrong.

 **TBC**


	22. Chapter 22 - No Amanda

**Chapter 22 - No Amanda**

(Wednesday Night)

Lee decided it would be best to call Billy before he got to the cabin. He wanted to stay as optimistic as possibly with Penny and Rheza but he feared that Amanda was either dead or dying. The whole situation seemed pretty hopeless. He filled Billy in on what he had found out in Plymouth and that he was now heading to the Cabin. He promised to check in if they heard anything but would call early in the morning. In the meantime, Billy told him that the State Police had called to let Lee know that they would continue to look for her as they patrolled but they could no longer have a designated patrol out looking. They also feared she was dead.

Lee thanked Billy for the information and hung up. He kept hoping that she would arrive just before him and come out with that cheery voice and say "hello Lee, so glad you changed you mind and decided to come." Why didn't he agree to go? He was invited too. If he had gone, he could have been there and if Sheila had pulled anything, he could have stopped her. Maybe if he had been along, she wouldn't have dared mess with Amanda. He stayed behind because he didn't want Amanda to feel uncomfortable having him there with her. How come every time he tried to do the right thing, it always turned out to be the wrong thing. Amanda would be alive right now if he had insisted on going with her. He slammed the steering wheel with his hand again. "She is NOT dead" he yelled at himself. Just because she hadn't checked in didn't mean that something else didn't happen. She could be totally safe and maybe even have amnesia. Until he found her body, he had to hold out hope.

He was still thinking about it when he pulled up to the cabin. Penny ran out as soon as he pulled up. "Did you find her? She asked.

Lee said "No, not yet but the police are all out looking for her. We'll find her."

"Rheza hired a helicopter service too. We are hopeful they will see something but it is a lot of land to cover."

"That's a great idea!" Lee exclaimed. I would have him focus on the area from Tilton up to here."

"Do you know something Lee?"

Lee swiped his hand through his hair as he began pacing. "You do know something, don't you?" Penny exclaimed.

"Let's go inside and I'll explain" Lee stated. He knew that Penny wasn't going to be happy about this but he needed to tell her the truth.

In no time, he had filled both Penny and Rheza in about Sheila and how he felt that she was the reason why Amanda was missing. He also told them about the two confirmed sightings and how it made sense that if Sheila was going to attack Amanda, she would pick the area that would make sure it took longer to find her.

"My helicopter has flown all over this area with no luck so far." Rheza said. "I was going to have him head to MA but now that we know she was spotted at least in Salem, NH, then we can continue to put our resources in NH. "

"Poor Amanda. Lee how could you put her in harm's way this way? I know you have feelings for her. I'm really disappointed that you would set that woman after her."

"Look, there isn't anything between Amanda and I" Lee started to argue but with one look from Penny, his voice dropped as he finished the sentence. "I'm sorry. I had just met Amanda when I led Sheila to believe we were involved. I never thought Amanda would stay at the agency and I sure didn't expect Sheila to decide to take her out. I knew she was a bit weird but I didn't honestly realize that she was this unstable otherwise I would have never have mentioned Amanda at all."

"No, I'm the one who is sorry Lee. I shouldn't have attacked you like that. Amanda is just special and this was supposed to be such a fun time for us and instead now I'm just so worried that she isn't alive." Penny collapsed on the couch as she tried to hold back tears. Rheza put his hand on her shoulder and said "Penny, be strong. She is a strong woman and she will survive this."

"You know I agree with Rheza. Amanda is no quitter. The only reason she is tied up in the agency is because she refused to go away even when I tried over and over to discourage her. She is a brave, strong woman. Let's not give up hope on her yet."

"I just feel like we should be doing something more to look for her. "

"Rheza, you mentioned that your helicopter was looking in this area. Do the guys know that it continued to snow almost another foot after Amanda potentially disappeared? Do you think her car could be buried under the snow?"

"I hadn't thought about that. I'll call the company and let them know. I also was thinking that maybe we should rent some snowmobiles in the morning and go out searching ourselves."

"YES!" Penny said as she stood up quickly.

"Dear, someone has to stay behind in case Amanda shows up or the police." Rheza said gently.

"Why does that have to be me?"

"I think Lee and I could probably cover greater distances if it was just the 2 of us. Besides if she shows up here, she would be more comfortable with you than with either of us."

Penny sighed. "Sounds like horrible reasons but fine I'll stay. Amanda is my friend and I hate that she might be dying right now or maybe already dead."

"Stop thinking that way! We are going to stay positive. Now let's all get some sleep so we can be up early in the morning." Rheza scolded. Lee was glad he spoke up because deep in his heart, he also believed that Amanda was not going to make it and possibly had already succumbed to her injuries and or the cold. As he listened to the wind howl outside, he knew that the wind chill factor was supposed to bring the weather down to about 10 below over night. "Hang on Amanda" he said to himself. "Please hang on." He wouldn't stop searching until he found her. He had to at least find her body. That was the least he owed Dotty and the kids.

 **TBC**


	23. Chapter 23 - Cold

**Chapter 23 - Cold**

So Cold. Head really hurts. What happened? So Cold. There are blankets in the back. Gotta get a blanket. Head really hurts. So tired, eyes don't seem to be able to open. Blankets are just on the backseat, have to reach them. Fingers stretching as far as they can without moving the head too much. Head really hurts. Is that blood? So cold. Got a blanket. Now to find the strength to pull it to the front seat. Slowly, slowly. Got it. Managed to wrap the blanket around the cold body just as the world turned black again.

 **TBC**


	24. Chapter 24 - The Cuckoo Has Come Home

**A/N Just curious. Hardly anyone is saying anything about this story. I see that I'm getting the normal amount of readers but no feedback. Do you all hate it?**

 **Chapter 24 - The Cuckoo has Come Home**

(Thursday Morning)

Before heading out to the snowmobile rental place, Lee made a phone call to the agency. Nothing new had been found out. Billy told Lee that the agency was officially pulling out of the search. Since Lee was not on duty yet, he was under no obligation to give up though since it was on his own time. Somehow Billy didn't think it really mattered because his instincts told him that Lee would have continued the search whether the agency approved or not.

Rheza and Lee got to the rental shop and picked out two machines. After a quick training course on how to use them, they were on their way. They started on the side of the road right off highway 93 northbound. They spent all day backtracking all the way back to Concord NH on the left hand side of the road and then came back up on the right side of the road. Neither of them spotted anything and soon they were exhausted. They returned the machines and went back to the cabin. As soon as Penny saw their faces, she knew that it wasn't good news and ran to her room to cry. Rheza gave Lee a look as he headed in to comfort her.

Lee decided to call Billy back and check in again.

"Lee, I'm so glad you called. You'll never believe who showed up today in the steno pool like nothing happened."

"Sheila is there?"

"Yeah, we let her stay so she would be comfortable. We are going to wait until their shift is done and then Francine is going to corner her and take her to an interrogation room. She's going to play off how much she can't stand Amanda either and see if Sheila will talk."

"If anyone can get her to talk, it would be Francine. Let me know and please call me if I can help at all."

"Will do."

Lee told Billy about looking for the car off the highway between Lincoln and Concord with no luck. "Maybe she kidnapped her and took her on a back road." Lee suggested. "If she did, we probably won't ever find her unless you can get her to talk."

"Don't give up Man. I'll call you as soon as we get done with her." Billy said.

"Thanks Billy."

Lee decided as he hung up that he wouldn't tell Rheza or Penny about any of this just in case it didn't work. He didn't want to build up their hopes only to have it all fail. It had to work though. He knew Francine was good at her job; this was one time she had to be the best."

 **TBC**


	25. Chapter 25 - Life

**A/N – The Anticipated Chapter**

 **Chapter 25 - Life**

She awoke again a few hours later.The blanket had helped warm her up a little but her head still hurt. Wait, she had aspirin in her purse. Where was her purse? She reached over into the passenger seat and found it. Then gingerly she stretched her fingers to the back seat again while trying to move her head as little as possible and found a bottle of water. Oh my gosh, it was so good that she had listened to that cassette that Mr. Melrose had given to her and put her own training from the scouts to good use. She pried the cap off the aspirin and chugged down 3 of them. The inside of her car was very dark. How long had she been passed out? Where was she? The memory of the crazy driver purposely slamming her car started to come back to her. As her head began to clear a little, she realized that her windshield looked like it was covered in snow. That must be why it was so dark. She had some gas left so she could start her car up and warm herself up a bit but she didn't dare to do that until she got the tailpipe cleared of snow. She hadn't filled the car up since Salem NH though and now she regretted that she had waited instead of filling the tank up again. She had at least a quarter of a tank though. She wouldn't freeze just yet.

She rolled down her window and found that there was easily 4 feet of snow on the ground. Some of the snow from the side of her car fell into the car when she lowered the window so she rolled it back up. She had boots in the car so she was going to have to figure out a way to put them on so she could get outside and check things out but her head still hurt a little too much. She touched it and could feel dried blood all down the side of her face. It didn't look like she had cut it on glass so she must have broken up the skin when it hit the door as she was thrown around in the car. She remembered her Mother's brownies on the front seat and helped herself to a large piece in hopes that the sugar would help give her energy.

After about 45 minutes, Amanda felt well enough to put her boots on. She laced them up the best she could inside the car and then slowly opened the door while trying to keep the snow from falling into her car. Her head began throbbing almost immediately so she quickly went and cleared away the tail pipe and then as an afterthought, she reached into the back of the wagon and retrieved the leftovers from her lunch. She took a look around to see if she could determine where she was. Her car had smashed into a tree so that the whole passenger side was all dented in. She was less than 500 feet from a small river that was loaded with boulders. If the tree had not stopped the car, she would have ended up down there and would have probably been killed instantly. She found herself shuddering as she looked down at all the rocks. She then turned her attention to where her car must have come from. She guessed that the highway must be at the top of this very steep hill. If she had thought to pack snowshoes, she might have been able to walk out of there but it would take a long time to fight her way through all that snow to reach the top of that hill. Along the way, she would have to climb through heavy bushes and who knew what else was buried in the snow. Amanda just knew that right now she was much too weak to try to do that. In fact as she was standing there, she was growing weaker and was ready to pass out.

She quickly relieved her bladder and then quickly made her way back into the car and started it up so it could idle for about 10 minutes. She used the wipers to clear off the windshield so she could see out at least. Then she turned on the radio so she could try to figure out how long she had been there. She couldn't believe it when the morning show crew mentioned that it was Tuesday. It seemed like it should be days by now. She drank some more of the water until she felt a little less light headed and then ate her chicken sandwich. As she finished, she worried about how upset Penny must be that she didn't show up the night before. She wondered if Lee knew and was out searching for her. Would he tell her Mother? No, she was sure he would wait. Her Mother! Her Mother would worry about her not checking in. That wasn't like Amanda at all. She hated that her Mother would be worried about her.

Why did that person smash into her car like that? It was just the oddest thing. If this was the way the tourists were treated in NH, maybe it wasn't a place she wanted to bring her family after all. She felt quite a bit warmer so she shut the car off. She was still really tired and thought maybe she might be suffering a concussion but nothing she told herself could get her to stay awake and soon she fell asleep again. 

She awoke around 3pm and heard a helicopter flying above her. It seemed low and when she rolled down her window, she thought it looked like it was looking for something. She honked her horn but it had already moved away and didn't hear it. She wanted to cry but she heard her father's words to her "Will crying do you any good? No? Then don't waste the time. Figure out a solution Panda. You can do this."

They were looking for her. She was sure of that. The fact the helicopter was in that area meant that maybe they even knew she was close by. She just had to hold out hope they would find her. The cold was making her tired again though. She grabbed the other blankets from the back and wrapped herself up in them the best she could. Then she fell asleep again.

During the night it became so cold that Amanda had to start the car up a few times. The windshield was still clear so she was fairly certain the tailpipe should be clear of snow. She knew that she was draining her gas supply but the night was nearly unbearable. She let the car run only long enough to take the major chill out though and then snuggled deeper into her blankets. She fought the urge to go to the bathroom until morning.

It was a long night but Wednesday morning finally arrived. Amanda knew that she couldn't stay in this cold car much longer. She had no choice; she would have to try to climb the hill. She pulled her winter coat as tightly around herself as what she could and got out of the car. She had never been in snow like this before. It was almost like quicksand as it pulled her body down and made it a struggle to move even an inch through it. Amanda spent an hour fighting through the snow and then looked back to see how much progress she had made. The car was less than 20 feet away and it looked like she still had Mt. Everest to climb. She was exhausted too. This was not going to work. That was when she realized that she might die down there and no one would find her until spring. She had her salad left and the brownies and some other snacks but that wasn't much food. Her water supply she could make last until the end of the week but it was just so cold that she knew she would freeze to death before anything else. It all seemed so hopeless. Amanda waded back to the car and got back inside. "I'm sorry Daddy" she said as she began to let herself have a good cry. In the end, she cried herself back to sleep.

She never saw the helicopter this time as it searched as low as it could over the tree line for her car. The car's white and brown pattern blended in well with the snow and trees though and the men in the helicopter flew right over her car again without seeing it. She woke up just before it became too dark to see. Her stomach was growling with hunger pains so she slowly ate her salad. She was so thankful that the diner had made such a big salad as it helped her hunger pains a little bit. After drinking another bottle of water, she knew she had no choice but to go outside and relieve herself again. The temperature was freezing. Even in her winter coat, she could feel the wind cutting right through her. In no time, her fingers were in pain from the cold while they were exposed. Amanda took a quick look at her tail pipe and found it to be still clear so she got back into the car. She had no choice; she had to start the car back up and thaw out her fingers. The gas gauge was getting closer to the E mark and she still had to make it through the night. She was sure it was going to be even colder that night than the night before. After only a minute, she turned the car back off and used the blankets to rub her fingers and finish thawing them out.

How was anyone going to find her way down here? It would be different if they at least knew a general idea where she might be but they might be looking from Virginia all the way to NH. As the time continued, she was feeling less and less hopeful that anyone would find her. She had flares in the car. If she heard the helicopter in time, maybe she could put out flares in hopes that it would catch its attention. What helicopter? She had only seen it go over her car once and it hadn't been back. They had already checked that area, they likely wouldn't come back to it. "Now come on" Amanda chided herself. "You have to think positively. What would Lee Stetson do if he was here?" Amanda sighed because she knew if Lee was here, he likely would be able to climb up the hill. Perhaps if her head wasn't making her so weak, she could too. Any length of time doing anything that took energy seemed to zap her strength and make her feel dizzy.

By now her Mother would be worried. She should have checked in by now. It wasn't like her to go for 3 days without calling home. She hated that her Mother and boys might never know what happened to her. Maybe if she slept through the night, maybe she would have the strength to try the hill again in the morning. Amanda snuggled into the blankets the best she could and vowed to conserve the gas in the car that night. By 2am, she was shivering so badly that she had no choice. She let the car idle for 5 minutes and felt a little warmer. The gas was almost gone though. Amanda knew she couldn't last much longer.

 **TBC**


	26. Chapter 26 - The Confession

**Chapter 26 - The Confession**

It was just like Billy described. Sheila had arrived at the agency that Thursday morning originally asking for Lee. When the steno girls told her that he was still out on medical leave, they asked her what she was doing there. Without missing a beat, she said that she had been hired back. Claire gasped and said "Really? I hadn't heard anything about this."

"Shut up Claire, no one asked you. I'm here to work so don't get in my way." Sheila took a seat at a typewriter that had been vacated by Lucy as she ran errands for Mr. Melrose and began typing what was on the desk. She was so engrossed in what she was typing that she didn't see Billy and Francine stand and watch her for a few minutes. She just knew that no one had better challenge her as she was back and no one could make her stay away. She was going to claim Lee Stetson as her own and they would get married in a few weeks. She had it all planned now that she had gotten that Mrs. King out of the way. Lee would soon realize that they were meant for each other. He had just been dazzled by that stupid woman's beauty. That was the problem with men; they only looked at how beautiful a woman was instead of how special they were inside. Well he would notice her now. She would make sure he did.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

"Does she have anything that should be kept away from her?" Billy asked Francine as they stood observing her typing.

"No, Lucy said she was just doing minutes for the last budget meeting. She will have some accounting facts but nothing that will really interest her."

"Okay, please get a security officer down here to keep her here and out of trouble, then come back to my office so we can lay out a plan. It is time to get this woman to tell us what happened to Amanda."

"On it Billy!" Francine said as she rushed to a phone to call in a Security officer. After making sure he showed up and was in place, Francine hurried to Billy's office.

"Sit down Francine" Billy said as soon as she entered. "How the hell can we make her talk."

"I have an idea. What if I come off as someone who is understanding of her position and let her believe that I hate Amanda as much as she does? Maybe I can win her over and get her to talk to me. She might decide to start bragging about getting her out of the picture."

"Well you certainly have a reputation for not being very nice to Mrs. King. If anyone could pull this off, it would be you. Okay, when do we do it?"

"How about if you detain her at quitting time and send her into an interrogation room? After we let her stew for a little while in there, I'll walk in and come off as the Hero who demanded to get her case."

"That's good. It just might work." Billy said as he nodded his head. "Okay, well Lee should be calling soon. I'll tell him in case he has anything to add and I'll let you know."

"Great!

Francine stayed busy the rest of the day and waited for the Security Officer to bring Sheila into Interrogation room 3C. At 5pm, he was able to stop her from leaving the building and detained her as planned. Francine and Billy stood in the adjoining room and watched Sheila through the 2 way mirror.

"You can't keep me here against my will you know! I know you are watching me. I don't know what you think you know but you haven't got anything on me. I demand to see a lawyer." Sheila picked up a chair and threw it at the mirror. Since it was break proof, the chair just bounced off it. She sat down at the table and began banging her fists on it. I demand that you release me unless you have something to charge me with. This is against the law to hold me for no reason. I know my rights."

"Oh Boy" Billy said as they watched. "I don't know if this is going to work."

"Let me try Billy. It is better than any other chance we have, okay?"

"Okay, be careful."

Francine left the room and went to the interrogation room door and knocked. "Sheila, it's Francine Desmond. I want to talk to you. Can I come in?"

"Francine? Sure why not."

Francine walked in and looked behind her like she was trying to sneak in without anyone seeing her.

"Hi, I heard that they had you in here. Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"Can you get me out of here?"

"Not at the moment. I'm sorry, I wish I could. I want to try to help you though"

"Francine, why do they have me in here?"

"There is some crazy talk that you killed Amanda King."

"What? Why would anyone say that?"

"I don't know but if you did, it would be a huge burden off my plate."

"What do you mean?" Sheila asked.

"Well you must know that I am not fond of Mrs. King. She waltzed in here like she owned the place and took over my spot being Lee's partner. She's just a Suburban housewife but every since she showed up, Billy Melrose gives her more attention than he does ME! I have been here for years and I have worked hard to move up in the agency and this woman came in and suddenly was all hot stuff in a matter of weeks. Well if she was suddenly gone and not returning than I would get my place back being Lee's Partner and get the respect that I earned."

"Wow, you have it bad against her huh?"

"You could say that. I don't think it has ever been a secret. Amanda King has to be one of the most annoying people I have ever met. Do you know she gave me perfume for Christmas that probably cost her less than $20? What an insult. Plus she knows that I watch my figure but she purposely brings in chocolate desserts to entice me to eat them. I think deep down she wants me to become fat!" Francine couldn't believe how stupid she was sounding but she could see that Sheila was so far gone that she was eating every word up.

"That doesn't surprise me at all Francine. She is an awful person."

"She really is! What did she do to you?" Francine asked.

"She tried to steal Lee from me. He had agreed to date me and we were enjoying our time together and then he met her at the Train Station. The next thing I knew, he was breaking up with me and telling me that he met someone else. Well I know damn well that if it wasn't for her, that he would never have done that. What we have is special. Very Special. He just doesn't realize it yet because he is too busy looking at how beautiful Amanda King is. So I tried to warn him. I really did. I told him to get away from her; that accidents could happen. He didn't listen though. I kept hoping he would but then he took her out on New Year's Eve. I had asked him about New Year's a few months ago and he told me that he never takes anyone out on that day because he doesn't want any commitments. Imagine my shock when I followed him and saw him pick up Amanda. He didn't even meet her at her door; he waited for her down the block. It's like everything was a big secret. I snuck into the party and saw him dancing with her. She kept pulling him closer and rubbing against him so he would be affected by her. It was all so disgusting to watch."

Francine knew that this didn't sound like Amanda at all so it showed just how mental this woman was. She decided it was best to not say anything while she kept talking because it was almost like she had forgotten that Francine was there.

"She put her hands in his hair and even tried to get him to kiss her but he refused. As soon as the dance was over, you could tell that he was happy to finally go sit back down. She continued trying to tease him though and used her foot to rub parts of his body. I don't know who the two people they were sitting with were but they seemed so uncomfortable by it all too. At midnight she tried to lure him in some more but he wouldn't even kiss her. She used her hand to touch him in hopes of leading him on. Then suddenly everyone got up and went to their cars. I followed them to Amanda's house. I saw her try to kiss him some more in the car. I knew watching them that he didn't really want her. He was drawn to her beauty. Women use their beauty to attract men when they really don't care about them. I knew that if she was out of his life, he would forget her in no time. I had planned her demise previously and went to her house to take care of her but her stupid Mother came downstairs and reminded me that she wasn't alone. I decided it was not the right time.

This time I would wait. She had been allowed to continue this mockery for too long. I sat outside her house all New Year's Day and was starting to make plans for doing something as soon as her family left for the day on Monday. Imagine my surprise when she got into her car on Monday with suitcases and supplies and began driving. I followed her. In a diner, she ordered food and I heard her tell the waitress that she was going to Lincoln NH. I have family in MA and we used to hike up in the White Mountains. I knew it was the perfect place to get rid of her once and for all. Those areas up there are isolated, very few cars are usually on the road unless it is rush hour. The best part is that it is wintertime so there is tons of snow. It took all my patience to wait until I was up past Concord NH but then as we entered some of the snowier, isolated areas, I knew I had to do it. It took a little effort but I finally managed to slam her car off the road and down over a huge embankment where it almost hit the river if only the stupid tree hadn't stopped it. If the car had hit the river, Amanda would have probably died on impact but I wasn't that lucky. I waited to see if there was any movement in the car and there wasn't. It doesn't matter though because she is down so far off the road that it will be spring before anyone finds her and even if she is alive, there is no way she will be able to climb that huge hill with all that snow bogging her down in those freezing Temperatures. The great thing about the White Mountains is that the wind chill factor takes little to be below freezing. Without any way to create heat, a human couldn't last long up there. Then the fact that the car is so far off the road will make it nearly impossible for anyone to spot her by accident. By the time a search party finally finds Amanda King; she will be long dead and I will be Lee's wife and you can be his partner again."

Francine was staring in horror at this woman as she gloated about what she had done. She tried to shut off her emotions but it was too late and Sheila had noticed them.

"Wait? Was this a con? I don't have a lawyer. You can't use any of that against me."

Billy walked in at that moment and said "I'm afraid we can. You were simply having a discussion with Francine. No one told you that you were under arrest or anything and I'm sure Miss Desmond will gladly testify against you, won't you Francine?"

"Yes, yes I will."

"How could you? I know you hate her too. I got rid of her for both of us. You should be thanking me."

"Murder is never the answer and Mrs. King may be annoying at times but she's a courageous, determined lady. The woman you described sounded more like what you perceive yourself." Francine said.

Sheila tried to fight the Security men but they soon had her handcuffed and were heading out with her.

"Check her for a lock pick" Francine called out. "Lee mentioned that she carries one." After Sheila was gone, Francine turned to Billy. "Do you think she is still alive? If Sheila is right and it gets that cold there, how could she survive even if she made it through the accident?"

"You mean the attempted murder? I don't know; but I have to call Lee and let him know. He is going to want to double and triple their searches along that road. She has to be right there and they aren't seeing her."

 **TBC**


	27. Chapter 27 - Running Out of Time

**Chapter 27 – Running Out of Time**

Amanda had woke up Thursday morning and realized that the area of her head that had hit the door was bleeding again. She took a shirt out of her bag and used it to press against the wound and then tied it there to help stop the bleeding. Her head really hurt and though she had been taking aspirin regularly, it didn't seem to be helping much. She had an awful feeling that she needed stitches but at the moment; that seemed to be the least of her worries. She had gone outside and relieved herself again and looked at the steep bank in front of her. To try climbing it again would take away a lot of her energy reserves and since she was down to just a few brownies and some snacks and only 2 bottles of water, it just didn't seem to make sense to try when she doubted she would make it. She was just too weak. In fact, she could feel herself getting weaker all the time. Whoever said that she should stay with the car maybe was wrong. It didn't matter though because that hill was just too steep and leaving the car meant she lost the little bit of protection that she had from the freezing cold. She thought a lot about Phillip and Jamie. She wondered if Joe would come back to take care of them. She knew that her Mother would if he didn't. Poor Jamie would have the hardest time of the two of them dealing with her death. He was needier than Phillip and the most like her. So tired, she just wanted to sleep. Soon she fell back to sleep.

A few hours later, she heard loud noises. They seemed to be in the distance but were getting closer. As they neared the area of her car, she realized they were snowmobiles. She tried to get out of the car as quickly as possible but just as she opened the door, she saw the two machines go flying by her. They appeared to be looking for something but her car was too far down and they didn't look that far as they seemed to be concentrating more on the area nearer to the road. Amanda slid back into the car and began to cry. No one was going to find her. She was just not where anyone would think to look. Before long, she had cried herself back to sleep.

 **TBC**


	28. Chapter 28 - Stupid Stupid Stupid

**Chapter 28 - Stupid, Stupid, Stupid**

Amanda awoke with a start around 2pm. She was starting to really suffer from being cold. The car blocked out some of the wind along with the blankets but it was just so cold that no matter how tightly she snuggled into the blankets, she just couldn't stay warm. She had tried to conserve the water but she was down to her last bottle and all the brownies were now gone too. She figured she had one more time she could start up the car to get warm so she was saving that for early morning when it would be the coldest.

If she didn't come up with a solution by tomorrow, she was sure she wouldn't make it to Saturday. She was going to freeze to death in the car. She would be able to melt snow and had already begun packing it into her empty water bottles and put them under the blankets in hopes of it melting but without warmth, she didn't have much of a chance. She still had the flares. The next time she heard any kind of noise, she would light some and throw them out the window of her car in hopes they would show up to whoever was searching. What else could she do? She needed to be more visible. If she had any chance of being rescued, she needed them to be able to see the car. The car! Oh my Gosh, the car. No one could see it because it was buried under a foot of more of snow. No wonder no one had spotted her. How in the world did she not think of that? Talk about stupid. A good scout would have thought of that long ago. Maybe she needed to give up both the scouts and the agency because she sure didn't seem to be any good at anything right now. "Amanda King! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go unbury this car right now!" She scolded herself.

It took all her energy to get out of the car and clear off as much snow as she could from the top and sides of her car. She then reached into her bag and found the red plaid shirt that Dean had just given her for Christmas. She did the best she could tying it to the top of her car. She also pulled out her bright yellow rain coat and tied that to the top near the back. Then she tied her red dress to the antenna. Hopefully the wind would blow it around and catch someone's attention. The other garments might at least make it so the car stood out a little.

Amanda climbed back into the car exhausted. "Lee, if you are out there; please send that helicopter one more time. Hurry Lee, I'm almost out of time." Amanda said out loud as her tired body fell back into a troubled sleep.

 **TBC**


	29. Chapter 29 - Sensing Amanda

**Chapter 29 – Sensing Amanda**

The waiting was the worse part. The three of them took turns pacing around the cabin. Finally Lee sat down and asked "Do you know how I met Amanda?"

"No, please tell us." Penny begged.

Lee began telling about how he had been chased by the bad guys to the train station and couldn't figure out a way to get onto the train to hand off the package he had to his contact. As he was panicking about what to do, he saw this beautiful woman walking toward him. She had the kindest eyes and he knew in his heart she would help him. She refused at first but he began begging and she agreed. He told her to hand the package to the man in the Red hat...not realizing there was a Shriner's convention going on and a whole bunch of men in red hats were on that train that morning. Lee chuckled as he told the story and Penny asked "What did she do?"

"She kept the package. Only, later her Mother mailed it not realizing that Amanda didn't really mean to mail it. I told her to stay away from the agency. She was a young single Mother with two young boys. She didn't need to be mixed up with us. But you know Amanda; she was intrigued and couldn't stay away. It was good she didn't too because I was grabbed by the bad guys and they were going to kill me but as they were putting me in a helicopter, Amanda pretended she had a gun and was able to distract him so I could take him out with my feet. We were still in trouble though so since I was tied up, Amanda had to fly the helicopter and get us out of there. I never gave her credit for saving my life that day. She had never flown a helicopter but she did as I told her. I complained all the time in those early days about her tagging along but over and over she saved my tail. Damn it, now she needs me to save hers and I can't." He said as he fought back the tears.

"Lee, she's still alive. I know she is. I feel it." Penny said as she rushed over to hug him to her. "Now you listen to me Lee Stetson. Our Amanda is a fighter. She wouldn't give up until there was no hope. I know she is still fighting and I know we are going to find her. We have to find her. It is my fault for inviting her up here. If she was back with her family, at least she would safe." Lee pulled his head from Penny's chest and said "Don't you start. There are no guarantees she would be safe. Sheila is a nut and she would have taken her out right at her own house the first chance she had."

The phone interrupted them and Rheza answered it. "Lee, it's Billy."

Lee jumped up and raced to the phone. "Anything Billy?"

He listened for about 5 minutes and then said "Tell Francine that I owe her. She did a great job."

Lee hung up and turned to them both. "Sheila confessed. She also confessed that she slammed the car off the road. It is a long way off the road over an embankment near a river somewhere north of Concord. Any thoughts?" Lee asked.

"Well that gives us more to go on. I'll call my helicopter guy and give him this new information."

"I want to be in that chopper" Lee said. Rheza hesitated and turned around and then nodded "I think you should be."

Rheza talked to the Helicopter Company for about 10 minutes and then came back and said "They will be here at 6am to pick you up. Penny and I will follow the best we can in the car. We are going to find her this time."

Lee nodded and said "I think it is going to be a long night so I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Lee headed to his room and laid down on his bed without removing his clothes. "Hang on Amanda. We're coming." In his heart he heard her answer "Hurry Lee, I'm almost out of time."

 **TBC**


	30. Chapter 30 - Lee on a White Horse

**Chapter 30 – Lee on a White Horse**

(Friday Morning)

It was around 2am again when Amanda woke up shivering so badly that she didn't think she could stand the cold another minute. She started the car to try to get a little heat. The car ran for nearly 5 minutes and then stalled. She knew it was now completely out of gas and now the end was really near. If they didn't find her that day, she wasn't sure she would make it through another night without freezing to death. She checked the bottles again for water and found that there were a couple of sips. It was more of a tease than anything else but she knew eating snow wasn't the answer. She was just so tired and her head was really throbbing. She was now out of aspirin too though. She fell back asleep and began having hallucinations that seemed so real. Lee had arrived on a white horse and jumped off while running to the car. "Amanda, are you okay? Let me take you to the hospital" He said as he hugged her close to his body, He then jumped back onto his horse and raced to the nearest hospital. He had kissed her passionately along the way though and it had healed up all her wounds and thawed her out completely. He was in the middle of professing his love for her when she woke up and realized it had all been a dream.

She realized that she could no longer feel her fingers or her feet. Her face felt like it was frozen completely solid. She could see that the sun was out so she looked at her watch and saw that it was 6am. She placed one of the water bottles on the dash in hopes that the sun would melt the snow. Then she tried to go back to sleep but she found that she was shivering so much that even sleep was evading her.

All those crazy cases that she had done with Lee and this was how she was going to die; it made no sense to her. She wished that she had left goodbye notes to her sons. Her fingers were too cramped up with the cold now to do it and she began to cry with the knowledge that they would never understand why their mother had died.

Suddenly she heard a noise. Could it be? Was it the helicopter coming back? Amanda grabbed the flair on the seat next to her and struggled with her sore fingers to light the match. It was her only hope so she finally put the match in her mouth and scraped the matchbook against it. She nearly dropped the match when it caught fire but instead she managed to grab the flairs and light them. She quickly rolled down the driver's side window and threw the flairs out and near the car. There were 5 flares around the car. Soon she saw the Helicopter fly over her car. It was definitely searching again and this time seemed to be looking in her general area but she slammed the steering wheel with her fists and screamed out loud when it flew off. That was her last hope. No one was going to save her. There wasn't any white horse. Lee couldn't rescue her this time. She had to accept it. Exhausted from all the effort, she fell asleep.

 **TBC**


	31. Chapter 31 - Too Late?

**Chapter 31 - Too Late?**

The helicopter had arrived at the cabin at 6am on the dot as promised. Lee ran outside and jumped in. The pilot introduced himself as Barry and soon they were in the air. Lee put on his headphones so he could hear and talk and asked "Did her description of where the car went off sound familiar at all?"

"Yes, there are a few places we will check first. Mr. Stetson; we are going to find her today. I promise you that."

"Please call me Lee."

The man nodded and then turned the chopper to areas near Lincoln. After checking a few areas near the river, he headed for Plymouth. Neither man said anything as Lee frantically searched all areas near to the river. A couple of times he saw a glint of something shiny but each time it turned to be just the sun shining on the snow. They had been in the air for about an hour and Barry decided to try another area of Plymouth, just slightly past the exit. As they swooped down near to the river, Lee couldn't believe what he was seeing. There up against a tree was the Station Wagon. Amanda had decorated the top of it with a red plaid shirt, a yellow rain jacket and she was flying a red dress off her antenna. It was right there. He had never been so happy to see anything in all his life. Barry looked at him and gave him the thumbs up sign and then flew away. "Wait, what are you doing? Lee asked.

"We can't land there. We will have to land on the highway and then make our way down to the car. We are going to need snowshoes for that too."

Barry got onto the radio and called the State Police to let them know the car had been found and to ask for an ambulance and for help including snowshoes. The Police immediately dispatched the Plymouth police to help with the snowshoes.

Barry landed the chopper in the middle of the road while the Plymouth Police set up cones to keep the cars in the other lane. Lee grabbed a pair of shoe shoes from the officer and began making his way down the bank as quickly as he could. As he went, he took in the car and noticed that the side windows were deeply frosted. It had to have been so cold for her out there all this time. "Hang on Amanda, I'm coming" He said. Meanwhile Penny and Rheza had arrived and were watching from the top.

It took Lee nearly 30 minutes even with snowshoes to get down to the car. He finally reached it though and yanked the driver's door open. What he saw nearly made him throw up. Amanda was white as a ghost. She didn't look alive at all. After all of that; he was too late.

 **TBC**


	32. Chapter 32 - The Waiting Game

**Chapter 32 – The Waiting Game**

Lee forced himself to hold it together and put his fingers up to Amanda's neck. He could feel a pulse. It was very light but it was there. He realized that he needed to try to start to get her warm while Barry got the helicopter back up in the air so he could hover over the car and lower a harness down so they could air lift her out.

"She's alive. She's barely alive. Hurry Barry!" Lee yelled up to them. While Barry was preparing to get the bird back in the air, Lee noticed that she wasn't even shivering. His training told him that she had severe hypothermia. He knew one of the worse things to do was to rub her limbs to try to warm them up. He took off his heavy jacket and added it on top of her blankets and then held her as close to his body warmth as he could in hopes of transferring some of his body heat to her while at least protecting her from the wind. He especially pulled her face into his neck and held her close. "Come on Amanda, keep fighting. You made it this far, you can do it."

Amanda moaned and said "Lee is it really you this time?"

"Yeah, it is really me. We are going to get you out of here so just hang on, okay?"

"No white horse this time?" Amanda asked as she passed out again. White horse? Lee couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Only Amanda would come up with something so random as she was fighting for her life. He wondered if it had anything to do with the white horse from when she first met Penny. He shrugged it off and just continued to hold her as he rocked her like a baby hoping to keep her a little warmer. She was so cold. He didn't know how she had managed to survive. "Come on, come on, hurry it up" Lee yelled to Barry even though he knew he couldn't hear him.

The Helicopter finally appeared above him and the harness was lowered. Lee slipped it on while holding Amanda against him and then let Barry know to pull them up. When he reached the door of the chopper and climbed inside, he discovered that Penny had come too. She began hugging Amanda and telling her to hang on. Barry turned the helicopter toward the Hanover area where one of the best hospitals in NH was. It took about an hour to get there and during that time, Amanda's body had begun to show some signs of warming up. She was still in a lot of danger though and Lee knew that it was critical for the doctors to start working on her immediately.

Barry had radioed the hospital along the way so there was a already a group waiting for them on the roof of the building as the helicopter was landing. They quickly and carefully moved Amanda onto a gurney and rushed her into the building. Lee put his arm around Penny's shoulder and helped her walk into the building. At the desk they asked where the emergency room waiting room was and got directions. Lee helped Penny walk to the waiting room and then they both collapsed on one of the love seats together. Penny put her head on Lee's shoulder and fought back her tears.

"She's going to be okay, isn't she Lee?"

"She's in the best hands."

Barry walked up and said "Yes she is. This is an excellent hospital. Don't give up hope. What I just witnessed was a woman with a strong will to live. If she keeps fighting like she has been, she is going to pull through this."

"Thanks Barry. Thanks for all your help in this too." Lee said as he shook Barry's hand. "I know you get paid but you still went over and above trying to find her."

"I already told Rheza that I just want the money for the gas, the rest was all on me. This lady seemed to be very special and I was determined to find her. I'm just glad we did. I got to get the chopper back home now though. My regulars need my services too but this was by far more important. I'll check in later to see how she is doing."

"Thanks Barry" Penny said as she lifted her head off Lee's chest and reached out to give Barry a hug. "You are a wonderful man." Barry blushed as he headed for the elevator to take him back to the roof.

"I can't stand this waiting." Lee said as he got up and went to the Nurse's station to see if there was any news.

"I'm sorry sir but this something that is going to take time. They have to warm her back up gradually otherwise she could have serious damage done. It could be hours. Why don't you and your girlfriend go to the cafeteria and have some lunch. It would do you good to get out of this room for a little while."

Lee didn't bother correcting Nurse Stubbs that Penny wasn't his girlfriend. He did decide that maybe it was good to take her suggestion though. He didn't give Penny a chance to argue. He told her that he was going to call Billy and then was going to take her to the cafeteria and buy them both a cup of coffee. Penny simply nodded as she continued to watch the door where the doctor would appear when he was done.

Lee used the payphone to call Billy and brought him up to date on Amanda. They decided that they still wouldn't call Dotty until they knew if Amanda would be okay or not. As far as she was concerned, Amanda wouldn't be back until late that night. It gave them a few more hours to see if she was going to make it through.

Lee hung up the phone and since Penny couldn't see him, he collapsed in a chair to the right of it and buried his head in his hands. She had to be okay. This was all his fault. She didn't deserve any of this. She had simply come here to enjoy time with Penny and Rheza and now she was fighting for her life. It wasn't fair. Lee should have gone with her. She was his partner after all and he should have been there to protect her. Partner? Yeah, she was though he wasn't ready to say those words to her. He couldn't imagine having anyone else for a partner anymore. She made his world fun again and she kept him on his toes while trying to keep him safe. Her mothering got on his nerves at times but other times, he realized it was nice to have someone who cared about him. He didn't feel like he had truly had that in a very long time. Oh Billy and Francine cared about him but it wasn't quite the same. He couldn't lose her. Sheila would pay for it dearly if he did and he wouldn't care if he went to jail the rest of his life afterward. "Keep fighting Amanda" He said softly.

 **TBC**


	33. Chapter 33 - Okay Partner

**Chapter 33 – Okay Partner**

Lee finally managed to get himself together enough to go back to Penny. Rheza had just arrived so Lee told him that he thought it was a good idea to go to the Cafeteria for a while since it could be hours before they would know anything. Rheza agreed and helped his wife to stand. He put his arm around her shoulder and helped walk her to the elevator. She seemed to be almost in shock. In the elevator, he asked her if she was okay or if she should see a doctor. Penny shook her head to clear it and said "I'll be okay. I'll be more okay once I know Amanda will be okay though."

"I understand. We all will." Rheza agreed as he hugged her to him.

In the cafe, Lee treated everyone to hot cups of coffee. No one had eaten much for the past couple of days but Lee knew that he had no appetite so he was sure they didn't either. They sat in a corner booth and quietly sipped their coffees with no one saying anything. After about 30 minutes, Penny said "I want to go back up. I hate not being near her." The rest agreed and Lee took their paper cups and threw them out and led the way back to the elevator. As they entered the waiting room for the ER, they noticed that one of Amanda's doctors was at the Nurse's station.

They all rushed over to him at once and began asking questions all at the same time.

"Slow down folks. I know the biggest question you all have is whether she is going to be okay, right?"

They all began nodding and then the doctor broke out into a smile and said "Yes, she is responding to treatment very well. She has woke up a few times and we were able to get a little hot tea into her too which helped. Her mind is still a little messed up though. She keeps asking for a Scarecrow on a white horse and a Princess but otherwise, she is slowly coming back to us."

Everyone was beaming at the latest comment even though Lee was still puzzled why she kept bringing up a white horse.

The doctor continued "It is amazing how well she survived her ordeal. She has a significant cut above her eye probably from hitting the door so hard when the car impacted against the tree but otherwise, she barely has a scratch on her. She was very fortunate because she was wearing her seat belt that's for sure. She also planned well for the trip and those blankets kept her warm enough so that she was able to beat the cold. Her water supply held out long enough that she is only slightly dehydrated. Other than that she is likely a little hungry but she is in amazingly good condition."

"Can we see her Doctor?" They all said at once.

"Well I don't know." He said but then saw how sad they all looked so he said "Okay, just for a few minutes and I don't want you to do anything to get her excited, okay?"

"We won't!" They all agreed. They quietly followed the doctor into an area where Amanda was behind a curtain by herself other than the nurse who was changing out the warm compresses that were still bringing her body back to the correct temperature.

As they entered the room, they saw that Amanda was sleeping so they stood quietly around her bed. Her color was mostly back and her face was no longer grimaced in pain like it had been when Lee had found her. The wound on her face had been stitched up and was no longer all bloody looking. Penny reached out and took Amanda's hand in her own and Amanda opened her eyes and looked at them all.

Amanda thought she was dreaming when she saw the three of them standing by her bed. She still couldn't believe that they had found her and gotten her out of there in time. She had been so cold that she was sure she was going to die there. She was still very weak though and didn't know what to say to everyone so she squeezed Penny's hand and then closed her eyes again. Penny took it as a sign of Amanda telling her she would be okay.

"I think we should get out of here and let her sleep." Penny suggested. They all quietly left the room and met out in the waiting room.

"Now that we have seen her and we know she is okay, why don't I treat us all to dinner at a real restaurant? None of us have eaten very well and we need to keep up our strength too. The locals like a place in Ashland called the Common Man. Let's go there. Okay?" Rheza suggested.

Lee realized how hungry he was so he agreed. Rheza's car had plenty of room so they all piled into his car and Rheza drove them there. After looking at the menu, they all realized just how long it had been since they had eaten a real meat and just how hungry they were. In the end, they all decided on the Prime Rib and no one had any leftovers when they were done.

Without any conversation, Rheza drove back to the hospital so they could check in on Amanda one last time. They all quietly walked into her room and saw that she was asleep. Penny went over and gently used her fingertips to push Amanda's hair back out of her face and then reached down and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'm so sorry all this happened to you my friend. This was not how I intended you to spend your vacation. I owe you a real vacation one of these days and I will make sure you get it. Rest easy and keep fighting to get better. We all love you Amanda." She then gently squeezed Amanda's hand and walked back to Rheza who put his arm around her shoulder in comfort. She gestured that they should leave Lee alone with her and the two of them walked out of the room.

Lee walked over to Amanda and sat down in the chair by her bed.

"Well I really messed up this time, didn't I? Amanda I had no idea she would snap like that and try to hurt you that way." Lee took Amanda's hand in his since she was asleep. "I would never have told her that you and I were an item if I had known. I'm such an idiot and you could have died out there. I wouldn't blame you if you never forgave me for this but I sure hope you do. Thank God we found you in time. You don't worry about Sheila; she will pay for what she did to you. I just want you to continue fighting to get well. Besides, it is officially 1984 and I need my partner. We still have plenty more cases to solve. Okay Partner?" Lee went silent and just looked at her hand in his. She had strong hands just like the rest of her. Suddenly, very faintly he heard "Okay Partner." Lee's head shot up and he looked to see if she was awake but she appeared to be still asleep. He wondered how much of that she had really heard. He gently put her hand back on her chest and looked at her fondly as he turned to leave the room. She needed her sleep and so did he.

 **TBC**


	34. Chap 34 - Friday Evening with a Princess

**Chapter 34 Friday Evening with the Princess**

Amanda opened her eyes just as Lee was leaving the room. Subconsciously she had heard most of what he said but she knew he couldn't quite bring himself to say all of that if he thought she was awake. So it was Sheila who had done this to her! It all made sense now. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Lee knowing how upset he was that he had caused her to nearly die. She could hear the sadness in his voice. Well at the end of the day, it wasn't his fault that the woman had mental issues. Amanda would never be one to make him feel guilty about what happened but if it benefited her a bit while he was feeling bad, she wasn't against using that to her advantage. She smiled as she drifted back to sleep.

SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK

"Hi Mrs. West, it's Penny. Yes, that's right, the Princess. Amanda? Well I have some good and bad news for you. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner but we didn't want you to worry. Mrs. West; I'm sorry Dotty; Amanda was in a car accident. She's okay; really she's going to be okay. She just got banged up a little and yes, she was wearing her seat belt which probably saved her life. She's okay. It just took us a few days to find her car since it blended in with the snow so she ended up with hypothermia. Mrs. I mean Dotty, please calm down. She is going to be okay. She's in the hospital and she is responding to treatment very well. I'm sure she will be okay to go home by Sunday. No, please don't come all the way out here. She was sleeping today but I'll have her call you tomorrow, okay?"

Penny hung up the phone and collapsed on the sofa. "That woman could interrogate a KGB agent better than anyone I know." She said as she chuckled.

Lee laughed too and said "I know. She doesn't know me but I know one day she is going to and I worry about that day."

Penny smiled affectionately at Lee. "You know, I meant what I said back there. I feel that Amanda really does deserve a good vacation with me to make up for what happened and the next time; I insist you come along."

"Well if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be in a hospital bed right now." Lee said sadly.

"If I know Amanda King; she would be scolding you for feeling sorry for yourself Lee Stetson. You helped save her life and she is going to be just fine. Now maybe you will start to realize that there's a little more going on here?"

Lee looked at Penny with a questioning look and then realized where she was going with this thought. "Don't start Penny. There is really nothing between us. She helps me out now and then on my cases. Also, didn't she mention that she has a boyfriend already?"

Penny smiled and said "You know I think she did one time but she never talks about him. Don't you think that is a bit odd? In fact, in the letters we exchanged the past month, she has never mentioned him. Oddly enough, she did mention you a couple of times though."

"She did? Lee's head shot up and sought out Penny's eyes. "She isn't supposed to be talking about cases to you. I will have to speak to her about that."

"Oh no; nothing like that. She considers you a friend and she worries about you. Anyway you didn't hear any of that from me."

"No, of course not. I think I'd better go get some sleep. It's been a long couple of days."

"Yeah, I'm going to head to bed too. I'm exhausted and we have to leave early in the morning for the wedding. Lee, thank you for saving Amanda. I hope you get some peaceful rest."

"Penny, there is no reason to thank me. I'll just be glad when we can get her home. Oh, I forgot about the wedding tomorrow. I'll need to find a different place to stay until Amanda can be moved."

"No, Rheza already inquired and no one had rented the cabin so we took it for an extra night. We'll go to the wedding tomorrow and then come back here. Will you be okay on your own? You could come with us?"

"No, I should be here in case Amanda needs anything."

Penny smiled and said "Yes, you should. Good night Lee."

Lee shook his head. There was no stopping that woman from playing matchmaker. He headed for the room he was using. It was the room that Penny had set up for Amanda. It was a cute room with blue rugs and blue curtains and even blue bedding. Lee knew Amanda would have loved staying there. It certainly was a lot more cheery than her hospital room. He hoped that one day she would forgive him for messing up her vacation with Penny and Rheza.

 **TBC**


	35. Chap 35 - Early Morning Surprise Visitor

**Chapter 35 - An Early Morning Surprise Visitor**

(Saturday Morning **)**

As she started to wake up, she felt like she was being watched. It was an eerie sensation but her instincts told her it wasn't Lee or Penny or Rheza. Someone was sitting in her room by her bed and they were staring at her. Her eyes felt like glue. He head still hurt a lot from the accident and apparently her brain wasn't willing to let her eyes open up and see the world just yet. She decided that she needed to relax and then her eyes would open naturally. If this person had come to hurt her, he or she could have already done so.

She finally managed to make herself relax enough that her eyes began to open. At first her eyesight was really blurry but slowly it began to come into focus. She looked over at her visitor and tried to focus on who it was. She could tell it was a man and he appeared to be bald so it definitely wasn't Billy or Lee though Mr. Melrose no longer had a full head of hair.

As she laid there staring at him and trying to focus on who it might be, he said "I can't believe you ended up here. I would have brought you flowers if I had known but of course it doesn't matter what your title is, they don't let you just leave after surgery. Sounds like you managed to give everyone quite a scare. You look a little lost. Do you remember me?"

It was all a little foggy but she knew she should know who this man was. Just as she was about to admit defeat and admit that she had no idea who he was; it came to her.

"Stanley? Is that you? What on earth are you doing in NH?"

Stanley chuckled and rubbed his bald head. "You can't forget a bald head like this now can you Missy? Well see I was actually visiting DC in hopes of meeting with the President to discuss a new surgical procedure I am working on that I need funding for when suddenly that damn hernia flared up and I passed out. Of course the wife immediately called for an ambulance and had me carted off to the hospital and I did agree to surgery there but only if they agreed to let me be air lifted afterward back here. So here I am. Now I'm stuck as a blasted patient until my body mends."

"So you live around here?" Amanda asked while ignoring his rant.

"Yup, sure do, just about 15 minutes from the hospital. It makes for a quick commute when I'm needed in a hurry."

"Oh so you work here?" Amanda asked.

Stanley smiled and said "Yes, I probably left that part out. I'm a Pediatric Cardiologist."

"Oh Wow, I had no idea. How did you find me?"

"Well I thought it was just a coincidence at first but as I was being noisy and looking at new arrivals I saw your name and that you were from Arlington VA. So I just had to come check and see if it was you. I couldn't believe that it was when I saw you but no one forgets such a beautiful woman. So I asked what happened to you and found out that you nearly died over in the White Mountains. I heard that your boyfriend found you just in time though and got them to bring you here. Smart choice, this is the best damn hospital in New England." Stanley said proudly.

"Well Lee isn't my boyfriend but yes thankfully he found me in time. Boy what a small world; I sure never expected to see you again."

"Well when a beautiful woman leaves a grumpy old man like me flowers when she doesn't even know him, I knew I needed to repay the gesture. Unfortunately I didn't have any damn flowers laying around; so the best I could do was to look at your chart and make sure they were taking good care of you. Then I thought I would stick around until you woke up so I could say hi. Well I won't take up anymore of your time. I heard that they are probably going to keep you today and then bust you loose tomorrow anyway. Amanda do you have kids?"

"Yes, 2 little boys; Phillip and Jamie. Why?"

"No reason. You just look like someone who should have kids. I'll bet you are a great Mother."

"That's awfully nice of you to say."

"I mean it. I hope they stay healthy all of their lives but if you ever run into any problem, you know where to find me. Promise me you will call me?"

Amanda gulped at such a kind gesture. "I'll keep that in mind if there is ever a problem."

Stanley squeezed her hand, leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then started to wheel his wheelchair out of the room. He turned back and said "Looks like that non-boyfriend of yours just arrived. Guess I'm leaving at just the right time. Safe travels home Amanda."

Stanley nodded to Lee as he walked into the room looking confused.

"Amanda who was that?"

"Just a new friend." Amanda answered.

"I saw him kiss you. He looks old enough to be your father. What the Hell was going on in here?"

"Oh nothing really. He just stopped in to say hi and to make sure I'm okay. I'm okay so he left."

"But he kissed you? I mean, I guess it is none of my business but it seems strange for a man who barely knows you to kiss you, don't you think?"

"Oh Lee, it is fine. He was just being nice."

"You know the problem with you Amanda? You trust everyone too much."

"What?"

"No I mean it. Someone has to say it. You are always trusting people way too quickly. Not everyone is as nice as they seem and some are actually out to hurt you. You need to learn to be more careful. A good agent always is suspicious of anyone's motives."

"I guess except when they are your date?"

"What? Oh Amanda, Sheila was different. I had no idea she had mental issues. Look, I'm sorry for what she did. I'm sorry I ever got involved with her and I'm especially sorry that I ever used you thinking it would make her go away. I have my work cut out for me to make it up to you.

"You don't have to make anything up to me. I'm over it. I'm just glad you found me in time." Amanda shuddered at the thought.

"Yeah, me too. Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. I'm thrilled that you are awake and that you seem to be nearly back to normal. How do you feel?"

"I'm still really tired but otherwise, I feel okay. My head doesn't hurt as badly anymore since they stitched it. Lee does my Mother know I'm here? You know I never called her at all. She is bound to be worried. It isn't like me not to call her but the whole accident happened just before I reached the cabin; well you know that I guess."

"Amanda, it's okay. Yes, Penny called her last night after we left you. She's worried of course but we convinced her that you were okay and should be coming home on Sunday. I found a mechanic and body shop here who could fix the car so it should be ready to go by Tuesday at the latest. Rheza has hired a man to drive it back to Arlington as soon as it is ready to go and he was kind enough to offer to pay for all the repairs too. In the meantime, we should be able to head out early Sunday morning and I'll drive you home. That way I can keep an eye on you too."

"Oh my Gosh, the wedding! Did I ruin the wedding for them?"

"Amanda, No. You didn't ruin anything for anyone. The important thing is that you are still with us. There will be other vacations and in fact I think Penny is already cooking up an idea for a future time for you both to try again. In the meantime, she and Rheza left really early this morning to go to the wedding and they should be back late this afternoon so she can spend a little time with you. In the meantime, I think you should call your Mother. She doesn't know anything about Sheila, she just knows you got into a terrible car accident along the way and that it took awhile for us to find you. Meanwhile, I'm going to the Café to get a cup of coffee. That should give you some time for some privacy, okay?"

"Us? Mother doesn't know about you does she?"

"No of course not. It was just a figure of speech. As far as she is concerned Rheza was the one who found you and saved you."

Thanks. Lee? I heard that it was actually you who saved me?"

"I was the one who got to you first but it was a group effort Amanda. No one was going to give up until we found you."

"Wow, that's nice to know. Thank you Lee."

"Don't mention it. Do you want anything out of the Café?"

"Sure, how about a double scoop of ice cream on top of a big warm brownie and all drizzled in hot fudge sauce?" Amanda suggested.

"I don't know if your doctor" Lee started and then noticed her smiling. He chuckled as he knew she had just pulled his leg. "I'll be back"

"Got Ya" Amanda said quietly as he left the room.

She then picked up the phone and began calling her Mother. This was one phone call she was not looking forward to.

 **TBC**


	36. Chapter 36 - Lies and Denials

**Chapter 36 - Lies and Denials**

Amanda picked up the phone and called her house. Jamie answered the phone and when he heard it was Amanda he began yelling to everyone that she was on the phone.

"Calm down sweetheart." She said gently.

"Mom are you okay? I heard that you had to be taken to the hospital. When are you coming home?" He asked.

"Jamie, I had a car accident. I'm going to be fine but it was really cold where I was and I couldn't stay warm enough so I ended up with severe hypothermia."

"OH AMANDA! That's awful. My poor baby. Why didn't anyone rescue you?" Dotty asked from the upstairs extension.

"Well you see Mother, the weather wasn't the greatest and that area tends to get more snow than other parts of NH do. So while I was driving, I apparently hit some black ice or some sort of slippery spot and the next thing I knew the Station Wagon was flying through the area way over top of en embankment. Luckily a tree stopped it before I crashed into the river otherwise I would have probably been killed."

"That's so awesome!" Phillip said from the phone he was sharing with Jamie. "I had no idea that our Station Wagon could fly. Mom, you are going to have to show us how you did it."

"Now Phillip, the Station Wagon was not meant to fly and it will not be flying again. This was its one and only flight plan, got it?"

"Yes Mom" said a disappointed Phillip.

"Oh Amanda, that sounds just dreadful. Thank God you are okay. Penny said that she thought you would be coming home tomorrow?"

"Yes Mother, they say that I'm doing well and they should be able to release me early tomorrow morning.

"What about your car Amanda? How are you getting home?"

"Rheza has generously already made arrangements to get it fixed and then have it driven back to Arlington. He has also hired a driver to drive me back home."

"Oh Amanda, they are such wonderful people. Too bad you didn't get to enjoy your vacation with them."

"I know Mother. Well I should probably go. The doctor told me to rest and right now I'm not resting."

"That's true Amanda. You should always listen to your Doctor. He knows what is best. We'll see you tomorrow darling."

"Bye Boys. Bye Mother. Love all of you."

"Love you too Mom" the boys echoed each other.

They all hung up. As Amanda sat staring at the receiver she had just put back in place, she thought to herself "Well it wasn't a total lie. I did slip in the road and the Station Wagon did go flying through the air and I could have been killed if the tree hadn't stopped the car."

She let out a big sigh. It was still lying. She really hated that the lies seemed to pop out now without much thought.

Her thoughts brought her back to Lee. He sure acted weird when he arrived that morning. Could it be that he was Jealous when he saw Stanley kiss her? Nah, he couldn't have been. He was probably just feeling guilty about what happened and was trying to protect her. That was all there was to it, she was sure of it.

As she was thinking about him, she suddenly felt like she wasn't alone and looked up to see him watching her from the doorway.

"A penny for your thoughts." He said quietly.

"I don't know, I think they should be worth more than that right now." She smiled as she responded.

Lee walked over and sat down by her bed.

"Amanda, I just want you to know, well you know I can't tell you how sorry I am. You know I like to be the big tough buy but I was scared. When Penny first called and said you hadn't shown up yet on Monday night, I knew right away something had gone wrong because it wasn't like you not to call if you were stuck. Then Sheila showed up at my apartment bragging about how you were out of the picture and she and I could continue with our relationship, I knew it was bad. I'm used to fighting the bad guys. Amanda, but this time there wasn't anyone to fight. If we had found you too late, I would be the one in jail because I think; no I know that Sheila wouldn't be alive right now."

"Lee, don't talk like that. I'm fine. Tomorrow we'll go back home and pretend none of this happened."

"Amanda, it did happen."

"I know" She said quietly. "Maybe I need to pretend at least for awhile that it didn't though, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Lee said as he got out of the chair and sat on the bed beside her. He gently pulled her head onto his chest. They sat like that for a long time just feeling comfort from each other without saying a word.

Then suddenly "So glad there is nothing between the two of you. Should I leave you alone?" Penny asked as she walked into the room with a big smile on her face.

Lee quickly got up and said "I was just comforting Amanda for a few seconds is all."

"Oh yes, that was all he was doing." Amanda agreed.

"Sure, okay. That was all." Penny said as she took Lee's spot and gave Amanda a huge hug while noticing the spot on the bed seemed awful warm for a few second comfort hug. The two of them could stay in denial but she knew one day they would have to admit the truth. There were definitely sparks between them and there was definitely something between them. When they finally admitted it, she would have fun teasing them about all their denials though.

"How was the wedding?" Amanda asked as she quickly tried to change the subject.

"You ladies are going to talk about things that don't interest me so I'm going to head out for now. Amanda, enjoy your time with Penny. I'll be back around 6am tomorrow so we can get you out of here and on the road, okay?"

"Sounds good Lee." Amanda agreed.

"Rheza and I are leaving tomorrow also. Lee has promised not to whisk you off before I get to say goodbye.."

"I won't let him" Amanda said "Now please tell me about the wedding."

Penny sat with Amanda for the next 5 hours until she began to get too tired

"Amanda, we are going to get to spend time together. I think the next time you will come to our country though. With all of Rheza's security, there shouldn't be any way for you to get in trouble there. I'm going to leave so you can get some rest though. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Amanda was already half asleep but she said "Okay" as she let her body continue to relax. Penny smiled at her friend and gave her one more hug, shut off the light and left the room. Thank goodness she was going to be okay.

 **TBC**


	37. Chapter 37 - Saying Goodbye

**Chapter 37 – Saying Goodbye**

Once again as Amanda started to wake up; she felt like she was being watched. What the heck was going on? She opened her eyes and saw a man sitting in the chair by the bed staring at her. She didn't know this man at all and she immediately found herself pulling the blanket up to cover her whole chest.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Not personally, no. I heard that you were getting to go home today so I had to stop in and meet the beautiful woman who drove me crazy the past few days."

"Excuse me? I'm sorry; I don't know what you are talking about." Amanda responded and wondered if she should use the nurse's call button.

"My name is Barry and I'm the man who spent four days in a helicopter looking for a Station Wagon off the road. Only I didn't know at the time that you had tried to teach that car of yours to fly so you were much further off the road than we realized."

"Oh my Gosh, you are the man who helped Lee save me?"

"Yes Ma'am, that boyfriend of yours was determined we were going to find you. Oh, nice touch with the shirt and dress on top of the car. We actually saw that long before we saw the flairs."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed the way he was acting that he was. In any case, all I have heard about you are nice things and this was one time that I'm thankful my helicopter skills came in handy and we found you."

"Barry! So good to see you" Lee said as he entered Amanda's room.

"Hi Lee. Just thought I would come visit this pretty lady before you took her back to Arlington. I'm afraid I startled her by arriving so early but Ole Farmer Twombley called and told me that his Heifer had escaped again so I need to set out in search of her shortly and didn't want to lose my chance to meet Amanda."

"I'm so glad you stopped by Barry. Boy, I could never thank you enough for finding me. I don't think I could have lasted much longer."

"No, your doctor already confirmed that you would not have made it through another night. Barry, you are a great pilot. If you ever get bored chasing Heifers up here, look me up; I'll get you a job flying an agency Helicopter."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Lee. Well you both have a safe trip back. It was nice to meet both of you." Amanda reached out and Barry accepted the hug she offered. He whispered in her ear "He's dumb not to make you his girlfriend. I wouldn't let you get away if it was me."

Amanda chuckled awkwardly at his comments and they broke the hug.

They all said their goodbyes and Barry headed out.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Lee asked.

"I feel fine. I'm excited to finally go home. Can I get out of here?"

"No, not just yet. The doctor should be coming by around 7am during his rounds and then he should release you. I have all your bags in the car already and Penny and Rheza are meeting us around 8am in the parking lot. You know I hate breakfast but they insisted that we take you out since it is the most important meal of the day and well of course I knew you would like that. There's a breakfast place along the way so we can all sit down for a bit and then say our goodbyes. Does that sound okay?" Lee asked.

"That sounds perfect. Thanks Lee."

The doctor showed up at that moment and Lee stepped out of the room to give them privacy. About 20 minutes later Amanda's released papers were signed and they were walking out to the parking lot.

"Amanda!" Penny yelled as she raced to Amanda and gave her a huge hug. "It is so good to see you walking again. This whole thing was worse than seeing you with that cast on your foot. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. I'm ready for some breakfast." The two ladies locked arms and walked to the cars. They decided to ride together to the diner and Lee drove solo behind. They pulled into the diner and found it nearly empty so they picked a booth near the back. As everyone ordered big breakfasts, Lee just asked for coffee.

"Lee, you really should eat." Amanda scolded.

"I hate breakfast. Coffee is fine." Lee responded.

Everyone kept the conversation upbeat for Amanda's sake and they all enjoyed the delicious food they were served.

Then it was time to go. Rheza and Lee walked away so the ladies could have a moment.

Penny leaned her forehead against Amanda's and looked into her eyes. "We sure don't have a very good track record for enjoying time together; do we?" She asked. Amanda wrapped her arms around Penny and gave her a huge hug and said "No, but I have learned in the past few months that life is an adventure and sometimes you just have to appreciate the moments you do have. Now come on, I'm going to be okay and we will have another time to spend a vacation together. In the meantime, you and Rheza look very happy together. I trust all has worked out?"

"Yes, your advice about the sexy nightgown has proven very useful." Penny said as she pulled out of the embrace to face Amanda.

"Perhaps it is time you try your own advice with Lee?"

Amanda gave her a scolding look and said "Penny! Don't start that again. I told you, we are just working partners. Trust me; Lee Stetson would never be interested in someone like me. I'm way too normal for him. At the same time, his life isn't normal enough for me. I already had a husband who didn't want a normal life. That's how he became an ex-husband. I enjoy working with Lee though." She said as she realized she should stop talking.

Penny smiled and said "Well it is a crazy business the two of you are in. Be safe Amanda. Stay in touch. I don't have many friends and I'm so glad I still have you." Penny and Amanda hugged again and then walked away, each brushing some tears out of their eyes as they headed back to Lee and Rheza. Lee shook Rheza's hand and thanked him again for all he had done and for taking care of Amanda's car for her.

"I believe Penny has an idea to convince Amanda to come to Zahir this summer. I think considering what just transpired, we will require you to be her escort."

"We'll see" Lee began only to be cut off by Rheza. "This time, it will be more than just an invite and I will personally take it as an insult if you don't come."

"I see, well you drive a hard bargain. I'm sure if it is during a time that the agency can be without me, I would love to come too. Thank you for the invite."

"You are welcome. I would do anything to keep Penny happy. Amanda makes her happy. I think she makes you happy too. Wait, don't interrupt. I have one piece of advice for you. Don't wait too long if you have feelings for her. She is a very beautiful, smart, courageous woman. Some man is going to come along and sweep her off her feet. It would be a shame for you to regret that you waited too long. That's all I will say on the subject."

Lee smiled as he realized that Penny and Rheza were more alike than he originally had thought. They meant well though

Everyone said their last goodbyes and piled into the cars to head out. As Lee pulled onto the highway, he looked at Amanda and asked "How are you feeling?"

"A little sad but also thankful that there will be another time."

"Well the Prince just strong armed me into agreeing to come with you to Zahir when you go. It seems that he doesn't trust you to stay out of trouble. I can't imagine why."

"I'm perfectly capable of staying out of trouble. Lee Stetson you know that this time it wasn't my fault."

"I know. I tried to tell him that you would be fine on your own but he made sure that I understood that no would not be an answer he would accept. It might be fun to travel there. It isn't like I get many vacations either these days."

They rode in silence for awhile as Amanda enjoyed looking at the scenery. It was Lee's suggestion that they stop at first the convenience store in Salem and then the diner to let both Sonja and Tina know that she had been found.

When they stopped at the diner to see Tina, Amanda said "I want to thank you and this wonderful place for such a huge helping of food. I wasn't hungry the first two days because the sandwich and salad kept me going."

"We should use that in our next commercial. Our food will keep you alive if you are ever in an accident." Tina suggested and then made a face and she and Amanda said "nahhhhh" both at the same time and then chuckled.

The cook came out with a big bag of food just as they were getting ready to leave and handed it to Lee. "This is on the house." He said and then disappeared before Lee could make him take some money for it.

They made their way back to the car and Lee handed the bag to Amanda. Inside were several pieces of fried chicken along with a large container of potato salad. At the bottom of the bag was a container that held 2 large brownies.

"Guess we won't starve on the way home." Amanda said mischievously.

Lee chucked as he reached for a piece of chicken.

"I did make one observation about the past few days." Lee paused as he smiled at her encouraging her to ask what.

She played right into his plan and asked "Go on, what was your great observation?"

His grin got bigger as he said "At least you stayed in the car."

Amanda began laughing and smacked his arm as he pulled the Porsche back onto the highway and headed home.

It was good to have her back.

 **TBC**


	38. Chapter 38 - The Gifts

**Chapter 38 - The Gifts**

Lee pulled up in front of Amanda's house and helped her out of the car and then grabbed her bags and carried them to the step.

"Call me if you need anything" He said.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for bringing me home Lee."

"Yeah." Lee could hear the running of feet down the stairs so he looked one last time at Amanda and smiled and then said "I'd better be going. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck!"

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." Amanda said as she smiled back. Lee hurried down the walk just as Phillip and Jamie opened the door and threw themselves into Amanda's arms. Amanda pulled them both inside but not before Phillip noticed Lee leaving.

"Who's that man Mommy?"

"He's just the man that was hired to bring me home Phillip. It smells like your Grandmother is making me a Pot Roast for dinner. Mother?! That smells wonderful."

"Oh my dear daughter, I'm so happy you are home. Are you okay Amanda?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just still a little weak but I'll be good as new in a day or two."

"Well I made you your favorite dinner to help build up your strength. I was just setting the table. Let's go eat everyone." Dotty said.

In no time Amanda was stuffed full of her Mother's wonderful cooking. The boys pulled her out into the living room so they could hear all about her adventure but she told them that she would rather not talk about it.

"Almost freezing to death is not an adventure fellas. I did want to say that there are some really beautiful areas up in New England though and that maybe we could take a few days this summer and go up to visit some of them."

"Like what kind of areas Mommy?" Phillip asked.

"Boston is a really nice city with a lot of things to see and do. There's a huge science museum there that can take you all day to go through."

"Wow!" Jamie exclaimed. "That does sound like fun."

"In the White Mountains of NH, there are a lot of natural scenic places to go hiking or just go visit too. I know you boys would really enjoy that."

"Do you think there are snakes up there in the Mountains mom? Jamie asked.

"Oh snakes and bears and coyotes and all kinds of scary things." Phillip teased.

"Phillip stop teasing your brother." Amanda scolded. "Jamie, I'm sure all those things are there but with us making all kinds of noise, none of it is going to bother us, okay?"

"Okay, sounds fun. Can we go?" Jamie asked.

"We'll mark it down as a possible fun thing to do this summer for sure." Amanda answered.

Dotty had come out to listen when she heard the word snakes. She was glad that that part of the conversation hadn't lasted long.

"Amanda, there was a package that came for you while you were gone." Dotty said.

"A package? From who Mother?"

"Well I didn't know if it was a prank or what but the return address label says it is from Russia."

"It does? Where is it?"

"I put it on the mantle." She said as she returned to continue cleaning up the kitchen.

Amanda went and got the package and couldn't believe what she was reading. The return address was for Ivan and Dimitri with no last names. The boys were busy watching TV so Amanda opened it up and found 2 brightly colored wrapped packages inside. There was a note on top of them and she opened it to read it.

"Dear Amanda,

We hope that you are not offended by our good gesture to you and your boys. We convinced a guard to take this to mail to you just before we were deported. It is amazing how good our vodka is at helping convince people to help you. In any case, we wanted to share with you something special for your two little boys. We have never met anyone quite like you. Our Russian women can be proud and fierce but none of them would have done all that you did. It was a pleasure to meet and know you. These presents aren't much since it was only what we had with us. Ivan makes these when he is nervous or stressed. Since they are handcrafted, we thought the boys might enjoy them. We hope it won't be too hard to explain where they came from. Take care of yourself and God Bless."

With Warmest Wishes,

Dimitri and Ivan.

Amanda couldn't believe that they had done this for her and her sons. She folded the letter up and quickly put it in her pocket. The packages looked identical so she said "Phillip? Jamie? I have an additional Christmas gift for each of you."

The boys left the tv and stood beside their Mother. "Who are they from Mommy?" Philip asked.

"These are from 2 very special men that I recently met. I had no idea they were sending them to you but the note they wrote me said that Ivan makes them by hand. So why don't you both open them and see what he made for you."

Phillip ripped the paper off his while Jamie slowly took apart his. Inside were identical wooden banks that had been hand carved into the shape of pigs. They were 3d banks and the detail on them was amazing.

"Wow" The boys both exclaimed as they looked at them. Dotty came back into the room at that moment and saw them and said "Amanda Dear, those are gorgeous. Where did you meet Ivan and Dimitri."

"Oh well that's a long story. I'm much too tired to go into that now. In fact, I think I'm going to turn in. It has been a very long day. I'm glad you boys liked your presents." She kissed both boys on the forehead and gave them both a big hug and then went to her Mother and hugged her too. Without another word, she climbed the stairs to her room.

Dotty watched her go and said quietly to herself "Ivan and Dimitri? No big deal that two Russian men just sent my Grandsons gifts. Where in the world does that daughter of mine hang out these days anyway?" She shook her head as she turned back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

 **TBC**


	39. Chapter 39 - Celebration Time

**Chapter 39 - Celebration Time**

Monday Lee had a follow up with his doctor. He was thrilled that his doctor was finally letting him go back on full duty for the agency. He was so excited that he knew he needed to share the news with Amanda and see if she thought she was ready to come back at the same time.

As he drove up near her house, he noticed that her car was already back in the driveway where it belonged and he could barely tell it had been damaged. He went around to the back of the house and saw that Amanda was sitting at the kitchen table and appeared to be working on paying her bills. He knocked on the door and gestured for her to come out.

"Hi Lee. You look like you got some good news."

"I sure did. I have finally been released to go back to work fulltime."

"Oh Lee, I was so wrapped up in my own situation, I forgot all about your shoulder. Were you in a lot of pain while you were searching for me?"

"Not that kind of pain Amanda." Lee said and then quickly continued "No, my shoulder was fine, I just couldn't lift very much with it. When the helicopter airlifted us out away from your car, I carried you and could feel a little pull on it but it wasn't bad. I'm just happy to be able to finally go back to work."

"That's great Lee. Do you think I could come back too? The bills are piling up and I could really use the income."

"Yes, I was just going to ask you if you felt well enough to come back. I'm sure there are plenty of reports that are behind that need to be typed if nothing more."

"That would be great."

"Amanda, there is one thing that I still don't know the answer to and hopefully you can fill in the missing link for me."

"What's that?" Amanda asked.

"Well when I first found you, you kept mentioning a White Horse. Now I know you are allergic to horses so I'm just curious why you kept wanting one around."

"Oh, it wasn't so much the white horse but the hero who rode in on it to save me. Haven't you ever heard of fairy tales?"

"Ohhh, that makes sense. Well I don't know if you can call someone a hero if they put the victim in danger to begin with. I still want to make that up to you Amanda. Name something that you have always wanted me to do for you."

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything."

"Well one thing that I have been curious about is where you agents spend your spare time. I mean I know you like your night clubs and eating dinner out but isn't there some place that you all meet together like in a huge spy setting. I mean you all know each other so it seems like you spend time with each other outside of work too."

"How about if I take you and show you where we spend some of our spare time tonight?"

"That would be great."

"Wonderful, meet me at the agency at 7 pm. Dress is business casual. The place is right next to the agency so I'll show you where to park the car when we meet."

"Lee what happened to Sheila?" Amanda asked suddenly. She hadn't wanted to ask but she knew she needed to face this demon for her own piece of mind.

"She will face attempted murder charges and be sent to prison for a very long time."

"Will I have to testify?"

"No, you won't have to. We have plenty of information against her and she confessed to Francine so she will be put on the stand to testify against Sheila. It should be a pretty open and shut case Amanda. She won't ever be able to hurt you again."

"Well that's a relief."

"Yeah. Well I should probably get going. I'm going to stop by the agency so I can get caught up on what has been happening since I've been gone."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight."

"Yes, tonight it is." Lee began to head out of her yard when he heard her call him back.

"Lee, you know I'm not going to keep making you feel guilty about involving me in this whole Sheila mess but I do have one very small favor to ask and then I'll not mention it again."

"Just one small favor?"

"Yes Lee. Just a very small favor. Do you think it would be too much to ask for a small little favor in the future?"

"And then you won't mention it again?"

"That's right"

"Okay, Sure anything, I owe you that much."

"Great, from no on; if you decide to make an ex-girlfriend jealous; can you please use Francine's name instead of mine?!"

"OH Amanda!" Lee said as he gave her a guilt ridden look. Amanda began laughing and soon Lee found himself joining in.

 **And the adventure continues as Amanda meets Lee at Monk's that night in the beginning of Remembrance of Things Past.**

 **A/N: Thanks for all the support I got during the uploading of this story. It was a lot of fun to write and it is my favorite so far too. I knew it would be though because I have been formulating it in my head for months knowing it would be my New Year's story. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support.**

 **NTK**


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